CPR Black v CEFC - October 25, 2009 (Newton HS)

To call the first to matches in the new 11-a-side MetroLeague cakewalks would be offensive to cakes.  Seeing their prior opponents struggle to field 7 players together minutes before kickoff, CPR Black were well relieved to see what looked to be a capable and full-sized squad of opponents gathering at the Newton field on this glorious Sunday morning.  CPR Black welcomed to the fold three 8-a-side team regulars to their 11s league debut, with Aaron Smith coming of a hiatus, Matt Engler coming off elbow surgery and Penrod having cleared his month-long streak of weddings.  New-player Rice also made his squad debut. 

CPR were sluggish out of the gates and saw CEFC control a lot of early possession.  Particularly threatening was a mullet-sporting midfielder who possessed quickness and good touch, and was eager to take on his opponents.  Despite their early advantage, CEFC failed to really generate any clear-cut chances.  Midway through the opening half, CEFC had one of their midfielders limp off the pitch with an injury.  With a squad of only 11, this loss put them down a man against a CPR Black squad which was shaking off the early cobwebs and beginning to assert more control over the match. 

As CEFC began to tire, particularly in midfield, CPR began to have greater spells of possession and began to carve open the increasingly exposed CEFC back line.  The best opportunity of the half fell to Verdoux who found himself played clean through into the penalty area 1v1 against the keeper.  The CEFC stopper proved quite capable and closed down Verdoux quickly and forced a shot straight at him which he parried to safety.  Bustamante was played in and again found the keeper alert and quickly off his line.  With options limited, he went for the cheeky chip and saw his effort miss narrowly wide of the far post, taking the teams into halftime at 0-0.

After the interval, Bustamante was again played in on goal, this time with more time and space with which to set up the CEFC keeper.  He patiently ran into the center of the area and finished clinically into the far corner to give CPR Black a well-deserved 1-0 lead.  

Refusing to bow their heads, the goal inspired CEFC to launch a few attacks to try to level the score.  With the Black back line living on the edge and playing a high line for most of the half, they tempted fate which on two occasions nearly cost them.  First, the talented CEFC midfielder found himself played in, but he rushed his show and missed wide, failing to threaten Penrod.  In the second instance, he benefited from a lucky deflection which fell to him in the right channel.  As he juked his way around Ault, Ault lunged in and made faint contact with his trailing leg.  Surprisingly, though advantage was clearly with CEFC as their player maintained possession and found himself clean in on Penrod in goal, the ref blew the whistle and awarded a penalty to CEFC.  It was an officiating decision which can only occur in the MetroLeague, one which Vlad himself would have been proud of.  

Wanting all the glory for himself, the CEFC midfielder picked up the ball and headed for the spot.  Penrod immediately began playing mind games by significantly shading one side of the net, tempting the CEFC shooter to aim to his right.  If only the penalty effort half lived up to the pre-shot suspense - unfortunately the effort was possibly one of the most pathetic witnessed by this writer in many years.  Penrod comfortably dealt with the feeble shot which deflated CEFC of any hope of salvaging a point, and left CPR with a perfect record and top of league table.  

Final Score:  1-0 

Goals:  Bustamante (assist Smith)

Man of the Match:  Penrod

Team:  Ault, Bustamante, E Engler, M Engler, Gudkov, Hollins, Levy, Lukaszewski, Penrod, Phillips, Rice, Smith, Verdoux

Guest appearance:  Swedish Peter

Team Bar Attendance: 64% (Bustamante, E Engler, M Engler, Hollins, Penrod, Phillips, Smith, Swedish Peter, Verdoux)