The IceMen start cold then turn the heat on VSA

Under a brilliant autumn sky, McLean Ice powered to victory in a rematch against their old opponents, VSA Heat. At the start of the season, when the teams first met, Ice were slow to find the net. This time Ice showed they could command the scoreboard, taking their chances confidently, and notching up five goals.

But what a shock start for Ice. Just after the kick–off, VSA pushes the ball forward into the Ice goalmouth. The defense, caught dozing in their pajamas, struggles to clear the ball from the charging VSA forwards. A few ricochets from player to player fail to get the ball out of the danger zone. The VSA left winger steps in and puts the ball away. 32 seconds; Ice are down 1-0.

Ice quickly wakes up. In the next ten minutes they put together six penetrating challenges, each applying more pressure to the VSA defense. First, Phillipe Nunnenkamp connects with Alex AbiNajm and Dylan Goodale to set up a strong assault on the goal. Then Ben Kodres-O’Brien and Justin Strahan assert themselves with good assists. Alex and Dylan again link well and give Robby Hoepfl a first clear chance on goal, well saved by the VSA goalkeeper. Clearly Robby is hungry this afternoon. Michael Knight keeps up the pressure with a long pass through to his forwards, and follows up two minutes later with a good shot on goal from 20 yards.

Finally, after 13 minutes, the Icebreaker – a breakaway from the mid-field pushes the ball into the VSA box. Three players, Philippe, Robby H. and Michael Sniezek hassle the outnumbered defense. Michael S. receives the ball from his goalmouth teammates and scores. Ice are back. 1-1.

Ice keeps up the pressure with a finely weighted cross from Michael K. and two great runs from Dylan, the first linking with Eric Leimkuhler, the second from 15 yards inside the Ice half, all the way to the line. This solo effort ends with Dylan rolling the ball across the goalmouth. Tantalizingly too far from the charge of the Ice cleats.

VSA counterattack. Matt McDonald, Matthew Callahan and Albert Doumar fight hard to close it down. Robby Maffei in goal earns his stripes, and a free kick.

And then in a play of pure tenacity, Alex wins the ball in mid-field and counterattacks with a pass to Robby H., who collects the ball sprinting across the half-way line. Robby shakes off one player, and is chased by a second defender. He fights hard to keep control of the ball, shrugs off the incoming tackle and breaks for goal. The VSA goalkeeper comes out to dive at his feet. But Robby has already flighted the ball on its path into the right-hand corner of the goal. 2-1.

Half-time finds Coach Nunnenkamp uneasy: "Make the tackles count, watch the other players, not just the ball. Talk to one another!" he sternly advises.

Two minutes into the second half Andrew picks up the ball and sets up Philippe in front of the goal. Philippe controls the pass, takes his time to select his spot, and drills the ball home. 3-1.

Ten minutes later, Michael S. penetrates down the right side, scores again with a soft shot that the goalkeeper fumbles. The hard work is paying off. 4-1.

Then, the icing on the cake for Robby H. He collects the ball from midfield, times a perfect pass in front of the goal to an unmarked Alex on his left. Alex drives the ball into the back of the net. The IceMen now have a handful of goals. 5-1.

The remaining game time sees Ice mainly pushed back into defense. To their credit, the home team tries hard to penetrate the back line, but strong cover by Matt, Matthew and Albert and some athletic diving saves from Steven Seliskar in goal keep out VSA.

Ice still has some secrets to unveil. The last few minutes see two spirited attacks from Sam McKay. VSA clears the ball from their penalty area into the path of Scotty Lafoon coming forward like an express train. Scotty hits the ball with a thundering rocket of a shot. Luckily for VSA, a defender gets in the way of the ball’s passage goalward. This shot shakes the crowd like Mount St. Helens on a bad day, and produces one of the loudest cheers from the exuberant fans.

After the game Coach Nunnenkamp comments, "An impressive control of the game in the second half. So many different players assisted and made the goals…but there’s still room for more motivation on the field."

The team has again displayed the ability to endure attacks and come back from behind. They excel in taking the ball forward. They turn their chances into goals. This was the most convincing win yet. However, against stronger opposition, Ice will need to put into play their coach’s advice. We all look forward to seeing Ice show their flashes of brilliance and the self-motivation to shine in tournament competition next week.