By Seth Hunter/NPSL.info
Fredericksburg FC made the trip south to Virginia Beach to take on Virginia Beach City FC in their inaugural match on Friday night in the latest ISNSoccer.com Game of the Week.
Playing without their head coach Brian Hinkey (who received a red card the previous match against Chesterfield United FC) VB City FC was led by their assistant coach Matt Busch. The side was entering their third league match undefeated, looking to continue the streak against Fredericksburg FC who were playing their first match this season.
“We pushed our season back with the purpose of wanting to get some preseason work done and I think it paid off,” FFC head coach Grover Gibson commented. “I’m very pleased to get a point on the road to kick our season off.”
Fredericksburg FC pressured from the opening whistle and scored an amazing header from Mario Herrera off of a corner kick just six minutes into the match.
“The other team was tough; they kind of sat back a little bit and we had to find a way to penetrate them,” VB City FC midfielder TJ Cyrus added. “We figured it out and had a response as the game went on.”
VB City FC struck back in the 23rd minute with a shot from distance from Pato Aguilar to pull the home side even with Fredericksburg FC for the final goal of the game.
“I think overall the energy level was pretty high,” VB City FC assistant coach Matt Busch stated. “We played both sides of the ball, defending and attacking, a little more attacking in the first half starting off. We settled in after that to take control of the game. We came out in the second half on our end defending a lot, we started getting forward with some substitutions to change the game. We had some opportunities, we just couldn’t capitalize on it.”
While the result may have not been ideal for the fans tonight at the Virginia Beach SportsPlex, it was a draw that was meaningful to both sides. Fredericksburg FC begins their campaign with a valuable point on the road while VB City FC remains undefeated at home and on the season.
“Being undefeated at home is not easy, but I think it’s something we all take pride in,” Cyrus concluded.
Both clubs travel to Maryland next week with VB City FC taking on FC Frederick, and Fredericksburg FC facing ASA Charge.
