And then…..The Earth Stopped Turning on it’s Axis

By: Anne | July 18th, 2007

Yes folks, the Vic’s won their game against the Atlanta Silverbacks, 1-0. Ok, I guess the Earth didn’t really stop. But sure felt like that big of a deal when we got those 3 points! Especially after we just lost twice in a row to Portland, the last scoreline reading 4-1. Yikes.

But enough Portland talk! Let’s talk about the awesome game last night. It was one of those games, especially the last half, that make all the other cold, rainy, empty stands losses feel okay. Last night was crazy foggy, which evidently must have impeded more than a few of the refs decisions, but at least the fog kept the Kezar slightly warm.

Many players turned in excellent performances. Hugo Casillas stepped in to play defense, since Cameron Dunn and others were out due to suspension and energy. Time and again Casillas has shown his quality as a player in being able to play many positions well, and maintaining strong energy throughout the game. Last night was no exception… despite the linesman just about impaling him with the flag….what was THAT all about?!

Captain Chris Schwarze also had a number of well placed header clearances, and in general, the Vic’s defense was looking good.

Chuck Kim, Josh Hansen, and Mike Munoz all played well on the attacking front, although truly the Vic’s could have scored 2-3 more goals. But we’ll take the awesome one scored by Federico Bianchi in the 39th minute, after an assist from Hansen.

This brings up an interesting point on the attacking front: is it better to have our defenders playing longball? This often seems to be the case with the Vic’s; huge clearances and kicks by the defenders bringing the ball way up front. I’m not sure. And especially when the Vic’s often play with only one striker up front, it can’t be easy.

The last 10 minutes of the game- including the 5 minutes of injury time- were enough to cause a heart attack. In a flurry of last minute activity, goalkeeper Eric Reed and defender Luis Aguilar made some fantastic saves, showing their lightening fast reflexes. But in the end, the win was awesome; let’s hope this winning spirit carries over to the Vic’s game with Puerto Rico on Friday.