AKR 2-0 St. Bonaventure
Very inhospitable weather! Strong winds gusted from the west throughout! Rain, sleet, and everything in between. Thankfully, the hail stopped before kickoff.
4-2-3-1 (ref Arsenal)
Jason Shokalook was injured and did not take off his warmups, so Stefan Dobrijevic filled in nicely up top, playing the full 90. He stroked in a fantastic looping right-footed goal from the left corner of the box to the far top corner. Great. But Stefan also missed several other opportunities that, from the sideline, looked like pedestrian finishes. Dobrijevic arguably should have had a hat-trick. At least he got in threatening positions.
Later in the first half, Josh Hallenberger scored a goal that (from my vantage point) looked like the exact same goal, from the identical spot, that Dobrijevic scored earlier. Halle put in a rock-solid shift, box to box.
Though not the most talented on the squad, Joey Paulus is a joy to watch compete. He plays with a relentless and unquenchable fire. His linking play is greatly improved, and he is emerging as a team leader. Joey's left-footed shot is surprisingly powerful. He is obviously having fun out there. ZipsNation can hope for a strong Fall season from Paulus.
For reasons undisclosed, Joel Sangwa did not take off his warmups. Mani Diop filled in and was the best revelation of the match. Impressive. Diop really plays a very similar style to Sangwe, calmly handling the ball, confidently tackling, and efficiently distributing. Diop will push for playing time soon, not to mention 2024.
All in attendance, players, coaches, referees, fans, were bundled up for warmth. It was tough to identify, even at close range, those not playing.