Columbus Eagles FC lost at home to Motor City FC 2-0 on Sunday.
The beginning of the game was welcomed nearly an hour from the scheduled start as miscommunication led to the referees not arriving on time, and Eagles head coach Mark Wise needed to find replacements. Two replacements were found nearby in the Lewis Center area and a third was found where else but the stands, as the father of an Eagles player is a certified referee, so he officiated the entire first half in boat shoes.
“As a coach, my mind was going twenty different directions,” Wise said on the officiating issues. “Me being distracted (didn’t) allow two bad goals, but it was an unusual day,” he concluded.
Once the game started however, there was no delay in the action, as Motor City FC broke out a goal in the second minute. The quick goal was scored on a run from Eliza Van De Kerkhove, who sped past the Columbus defense, found herself all alone with Eagles’ goalkeeper Molly Schriber, and promptly pushed the shot along the ground where it found the bottom corner of the net.
Columbus would try to put together a response, and Danielle Dixson nearly gave the home team a retaliation goal in the fifth minute. Dixson forced a turnover and sent in a cross that hinted at danger, but was eventually cleared away by the Motor City FC defense.
Dixson would continue to create for the Eagles in an attempt to notch an equalizer. In the 17th minute Dixson would fire off a shot from distance that fell wide of the net and a diving Caitlyn Clem, Motor City FC goalkeeper. Clem would be tested in the 22nd minute however, stopping a shot from Columbus’ Erin Brockway.
The countering attempt from the Eagles would eventually backfire as the speed of Motor City FC proved lethal again as another run got behind the defense and Motor City’s captain Dani Haelewyn would finish the run off by firing a shot in the top corner where Eagles’ goalie Schriber could not reach. In the 27th minute, Motor City FC led 2-0.
Despite the two-goal deficit, the Eagles would continue to press for the remainder of the half and threatened multiple times with runs down the side again by Dixson who was joined on the opposite side by Peyton Miller who had a few runs down the side that were denied by Motor City’s defense. A shortened halftime break found the Eagles still trailing by a pair of goals.
Molly Schriber kept the Eagles close in the second half. Schriber kept the score at 1-0 earlier with a leaping save where she barely managed to tip the ball over the crossbar, and the second half saw more of the same, as the former Heidlberg University basketball player grabbed a shot off as a result of a corner and also threw off a run by Motor City’s Ashley Henderson with a brave dive at the ball which drew her well of her line.
The Eagles would find their best chance at goal in stoppage time, where they were given a free kick just outside the box, but the attempt sailed well over the bar and the game was ended immediately after.
“If we would play a better game, we could beat that team,” Wise said after the match.
“I’m looking at this season, and we have five points. Last year we had zero. We knocked off a pretty good team last week, and last time this team beat us 6-0, then there’s just a two goal differential here,” Wise concluded.
So you can certainly call this progress.
The Eagles are back in action next Sunday at home where they will take on the Michigan Lions.
