The Columbus Eagles notched the first win in club history Sunday with a 1-0 margin over the FC Indiana Lions.
The win came after the Lions defeated the Eagles 10-0 at Indiana just three weeks ago.
“The minute you get a win like this, all of a sudden you breathe a new fresh life into the team,” Eagles head coach Mark Wise said after the match.
The two teams spent much of the opening minutes in the midfield, battling for possession, but FC Indiana would show their speed at a couple points, breaking out into dangerous runs that challenged the Eagles’ back four, a unit that Wise adjusted for the game.
“I beefed up my back line with experience,” Wise added. “Ladies that have played the game a long time and they sorted it out and kept (FC Indiana) in check.”
Keeping the Lions in check was going to be a challenge, as the last time the two teams faced off, FC Indiana put up four goals in the first 14 minutes on their way to a complete rout of the Eagles. The Eagles would survive different runs from the speed of Indiana, and 20 minutes in, would even begin to create their own chances.
The first of which came on an Erin Weber cross that just missed Lara Cross who would have had a fairly good look at goal. Danielle Dixon, a new addition to the starting lineup, also hustled for loose balls, won possession and created for the team early on in the match. One moment in particular, Dixon forced the Lions to kick the ball out three times in a row, something which eventually led to a scoring threat for the Eagles, but no shot.
Eagles Keeper Molly Schriber also kept the game even with a brave diving stop, coming off of her line to corral a through ball from FC Indiana forward Ketura Woodlyne Robuste, a player that would make the biggest impact for the Lions all afternoon.
At the end of the first half, Wise said he knew his side had to make an adjustment to steal a victory.
“At halftime, we adjusted and we got better,” Wise said.
The Eagles then started pressing from the wing, and the fans at The Wellington School began to get more into the game, sensing that the home team Eagles may create the decisive chance.
Robuste of FC Indiana had other ideas however, as she broke away from the Eagles’ defense and a had a one-on-one opportunity with Schriber, but the Columbus goalie made a wild, sliding foot save to keep the game even.
Both teams would absorb chances from the opposition, but the Eagles created the most chances in the last twenty minutes of the match, still tied 0-0. The chances started with Lara Ross, who corralled a cross, knocked it down and volleyed a shot off the bounce that went just wide of the net, with Eagles’ supporters exhaling in unison.
The Eagles would finally capitalize on a wild play, where the ball was bounced around through the air, and eventually find the foot of substitute Peyton Miller, who volleyed the ball past FC Indiana keeper Tarah Hobbs and gave Columbus a 1-0 lead in the 80th.
The Eagles then showed determination to conserve the lead in the final ten minutes, despite the best effort of Robuste to try to break the defenses. The Eagles ultimately held on, and earned the first victory in their first two seasons.
“First one ever. First. One. Ever,” Mark Wise said after the game.
The Eagles are back in action next Saturday where they will take on FC Pride on the road, and then return to The Wellington School next Sunday where they will take on Motor City FC.
