The Premier Impact squad's offensive prowess was not enough to beat AC Milan on Thursday night. The Impact 1 Men faced off against the AC Milan 1 Men in an eventful contest totalling eight goals, but met defeat with a 5-3 final result.
The Premier Impact squad's offensive prowess was not enough to beat AC Milan on Thursday night.
The Impact 1 Men faced off against the AC Milan 1 Men in an eventful contest totalling eight goals, but met defeat with a 5-3 final result.
The scoring was blown open immediately, with the Impact falling 2-1 within the first 15 minutes of the game. The team managed to tie things up when a corner kick by Zach Rochat sailed over the top of the pack and found Vladamir Tadic who headed the ball over the goalie and into the back of the net.
The Impact continued to come on strong and apply pressure to the opposition but fell short just before the end of the half. A race for an open ball left St. Albert a step behind and AC Milan found the net, putting the challenger up a point.
“We broke down in parts and became a little bit individualistic in our game,” Coach Charles O'Toole said. “If we would have played more as a team and connected a little bit better we would have had more success.”
The action settled down in the second half and St. Albert was pressing hard for a tying goal. Finally the home team got their chance when a shot by Hyeonho Jeong rebounded off the diving goalkeeper's chest and bounced to Jaewon Hwang who settled the ball and netted it for the tie.
On their first play after the following kick-off, AC Milan charged down the field for retribution. They got vengeance when a shot sailed over the crowd from outside the box and the ball landed effortlessly behind the goalkeeper. St. Albert could not come back from the goal and conceded another one for a final defeat of 5-3.
“We became a bit more settled and played our game a little bit more in the second half,” O'Toole said. “We battled back to tie the game but then the other team had some fantastic goals. We can't take anything away from them. They were great strikes.”
Despite the loss, O'Toole was pleased with the offensive performance and happy to see the forwards moving the ball successfully after a stagnant last few games. He is hoping they can build on the three goals scored against AC Milan and carry it forward to their next game against the second place Strikers.
The fourth place Impact kick off against the Strikers on July 16 at 7 p.m. at Riel Park.
