Gritty and gutsy final performance!

The Dawgs put on a gritty and gutsy performance for the final game of the season.  It was also appropriate that a couple of our sensational sophomores had a big impact on the game.  SMS went up early 1-0 and then Landon Hekking found sophomore Sebastian Saunders on a beautiful cross which Seb buried to tie it 1-1.  We went back and forth and SMS broke through with a breakaway and the players feet got tangled up in the box which resulted in a Red card for "Denial Of a Goalscoring Opportunity" about 15 minutes into the game.  Our captain and sophmore goalie, Ryan Kleckowski, came up with a huge PK stop to keep the game tied.  He made some tremendous saves all game long and kept it close until the final whistle as we played a man down for most of the game.  After further discussion over the weekend, the referees decided to rescind the Red and issue a yellow for reckless play instead.

Our defense played solid once again (sophomore Charlie Levene, sophomore Blake Allen, Luke Chila, Kyle Southworth, Max Bowdoin, captain Kava Kraft).  They communicated and stuck together to provide Pressure, Cover and Balance for each other.  We played out of the back several times to relieve pressure and possess the ball.

Our midfield and strikers (captain Eli White, Aiden McMahon, Max Borhek, Evan Hulett, Pierre Dobbelmann, Landon Hekking, Dylan Skandera) put constant pressure on the SMS backline even when we only had 10 players.  Evan Hulett was able to use his skill and speed to sneak by their defenders a few times.  Also, Landon Hekking had some great individual effort and pursuit to win the ball back in their half.  Ultimately, SMS went up 2 to 1 with about 20 minutes left as we started to press and take some more risks to get the ball forward.  They also found the back of the net with a few minutes left off a rebound opportunity. 

A great season comes to an end with a lot of improvement as a team.  Thanks again to Bailey DesRoberts for his time and expertise over the course of the season.