Not the Prettiest Win, But They’ll Take it

Scrappy match against Mundial ends with Missile 2-0 victory

It took everything the St. James Missile had left in the tanks to maintain their cool in the face of the hot-collared, Mundial squad last night. While tempers flared throughout the majority of the 90 minute battle, the Missile were able to pick up three points and their fifth consecutive win.

The line up saw a very similar start as the Penerol match, with Legace and Vieira striking with the support of halfbacks, Keats, Bo-Maguire, and Maguet. Kostelnyk and Howie picked up the wing positions while Patton led his defensive team of, McVicar and Elrick. Once again, McLeod would stand tall between the posts, capping the teams filed presence.

Mundial, where credit is due, played a tough game. They were constantly in the trenches and controlled the midfield quite well. This was all fine and good until Dave Kostelnyk broke free on the right wing and found captain, Kevin Legace running the touch line. Legace managed to out muscle the last Mundial defender and blast a shot from a very tough angle. Despite his best efforts, the Mundial keeper was unable to control Legace’s heavy shot, much like many keepers in the league, and the Missile went ahead 1-0 at the 26 minute mark.

At the 43 minute mark, Mundial would find their best opportunity from 20 yards out. A hard, curling shot from just above the penalty area would just graze over the crossbar and ring off of the back framing of the net. This chance was the wake up call for the less than masterful performing Missile squad, who would take the 1-0 lead into the half.

Half time substitutions saw the replacement of Howie, Vieira, and Maguet, to bring in the fresh legs of Nguyen, Schneider, and Simes. But these substitutes were not coming in for a stroll on the pitch as Mundial came out with fire in their boots. A sloppy 15-20 minutes of soccer from the Missile squad would give Mundial opportunity to get on the scoreboard, however, with Patton, McVicar, and Elrick standing as the last line of defence, the chances were limited.

The best opportunity of the half came from a Mundial corner kick. The ball had been played deep, across the penalty area and back to the center where it was directed to the net. McLeod played this perfectly and came up with a great save, ensuring the Missile’s one goal lead.

“It is all about positioning,” says McLeod in a post match interview. “I’ve been playing long enough, and I’ve been burned enough times watching the ball and moving to follow it. In those types of situations, a keeper has to be disciplined enough to pay attention to his positioning.”

While McLeod continued to make everything look easy on his end of the field, the offensive end continued the difficult battle to try and buy some insurance for the win. While tempers continued to flare, poor sportsmanship would end up costing the Mundial squad a player; a dirty hit after the keeper had picked up the ball would award the halfback’s second yellow and see him ejected from the match.

Being up a man, the Missile needed to take advantage of the situation and score. As the game was getting out of control and the Mundial squad began to play recklessly, the game could not have ended soon enough. Midway through the second half, confusion would cost the Missile squad their captain as Legace was sent off with a red card for improper substitution. This call came immediately after Legace picked up a very questionable cautioning after colliding with the Mundial keeper.

“It didn’t make sense,” argued Legace after the match. “We had asked for substitution for Wade and me. The linesman was given two cards and everything seemed fine. The referee had started the play before [Vieira] had been let onto the field. It was awkward but we took our lumps and rolled with it in the end. You have to respect the official’s decision.”

With the sides back to even strength it would not be until the 78th minute where the Missile would finally find the back of the Mundial net and seal their victory. A lobbing ball found Keats inside the area and the rebound would land on the foot of Simes, who was faced with an empty net and his fifth goal of the season.

After 90 minutes, nothing sounded sweeter than the referee’s whistle, signalling that the match had finally ended. This win extends the Missile winning streak to five and continues McLeod’s string of shutouts to four. As the road trip continues, the Missile will play again on Tuesday at the Waverley Soccer Complex against AC Fiorentina.

A very special thank you goes out to team captain, Kevin Legace, whose determination, dedication, and love of the game brought him to appear in the match last night after the loss of his grandmother. The St. James soccer club would like to extend their thanks and sympathy to Kevin in his time of mourning.

In other action around the league, AC Fiorentina mustered everything they had as they, once again, brought upset against the first place, and heavy favourite, Blue Blazers. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, limiting the Blazers strangle-hold on the division to 4 points. Penerol met with Boni-Vital and managed a 3-0 victory which will keep them in contention for top spot as well.