Thursday, October 23, 2014

District One Playoffs - 1st Round

Tonight the Aces traveled to Boyertown to take on the 12th seeded Bears. It was a crisp fall night with a heavy wind blowing from north to south. LM had the wind at their backs for the 1st half and it was imperative that they score at least 1 goal with such a big advantage.

From the opening tap the Aces came out playing a short pass possession game, and played it well. They had the ball in Boyertown's end for most of the half but couldn't find the back of the net. At the other end LM's D didn't allow a single shot on goal. The Aces got the 1st shot of the game with just 11 minutes left in the opening half but couldn't convert. Six minutes later they got a corner kick, one of many during the 1st half, and this time they made it count. Senior Gian-Luca Hail was the target and he re-directed the ball to sophmore Ryan Tillman who drilled it past the Boyertown keeper to give LM a 1-0 halftime lead.

The Aces enjoyed excellent midfield play during the 1st half, and along with steady back play, stressing solid clears and targeted outlet passes, they moved the ball at will. And with the forwards demonstrating excellent ball skills & tenacity on turnovers, this proved to be one of the best complete halves of the season. This continued in the 2nd half, but was must more difficult against a strong wing.

Because of the wind the Bears enjoyed better ball penetration in the 2nd half but LM keeper Will Rosenbaum, along with his rock solid defense, kept Boyertown's scoring chances to a minimum. With just 6 minutes left a Bear's corner kick led to an open shot from about 10 yards out but a brilliant clear by sophmore Alex Moureaud kept the Aces on top. From there LM used good game management to run out the clock and preserve the win.

The Aces now move into the 2nd round with a Saturday game at #5 seed Plymouth Whitemarsh, a 3-1 1st-round winner over #28 seed Abington. Game time will be announced here as soon as it becomes available.

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