Striving to secure first place in Div 2B, ACFC met the second of three major challenges Aug. 10, taking on a strong Devils side, who were intent on rebounding from a 7-1 thrashing they had received at the hands of the league-leading Hotspurs last week.
In a game marred by sketchy challenges and the usual John Ferraro ball dynamics, Angel City still kicked off to an early lead with Ben O'Meara taking a David Woirhaye pass and striking it solidly past The Devils keeper just seven minutes in.
Strong defence and solid goalkeeping from Peter Marlenga kept The Devils reigned in for most of the half and at the 33-minute mark Brandon Cole notched his second of the season, knocking in the deflection off a DW shot inside the box. Cole literally walked the ball in over the goal line with a smile on his face.
After the second goal gentlemanly conduct appeared to go out the window, with The Devils defence knocking O'Meara to the ground on several occasions (it seemed to be the only way they could stop him). One such challenge left O'Meara with a gash in the side of his head and a blood stained jersey. While O'Meara left the game at that point, his injuries will not keep him out of the lineup for next week.The second half saw more clunky challenges from the Devils, and a few more ACFC injuries, with Ben Kull being taken down from behind, and Peter Wasek being cleated down the calf. Calls were not forthcoming.
The Devils pushed forward and made things interesting, putting a lone goal past Marlenga at the 47-minute mark on a bouncing shot from just outside the box.
But strong performances from eventual MVP Peter Wasek, Kirby Adams and Leo Wallach, and a couple of breakaway saves by Marlenga (one off a bicycle kick), kept the win in ACFC hands.
Matt Onheiber -- who picked up the lone ACFC yellow card during the game for a fair challenge -- and David Alarcon also had strong nights.
When the final whistle sounded coach Billy Alarcon was heard to say: "Great match boys ... I heard we won." The squad may have lost a few battles on the field, but came away with the overall win.
ACFC's record now sits at 5 wins and a loss, with a +12 GD. The squad play the Hotspurs next Monday at Griffith Park with a 7 PM kickoff. The Hotspurs lost 3-0 to Hollywood United Monday leaving ACFC alone at the top of the tables with one game to go before mid-season.
GAME STATS
ACFC (2) vs The Devils (1)
Goals:
ACFC: Ben O'Meara (7:00), Brandon Cole (33:00)
The Devils: (47:00)
Assists:
David Woirhaye (2)
Shots:
ACFC (8) vs The Devils (12)
Corner Kicks:
ACFC (2) vs The Devils (4)
Yellow Cards:
ACFC (1) vs The Devils (1)
MVP: Peter Wasek
The Hotspurs don't know what's coming, but it's going to hit them like a ton of bricks. Viva ACFC!!!!!
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