Patrick Fergus
@Fergus5Fergus
A windy Saturday afternoon at Brock-Affleck Field saw the Springfield Men’s Soccer team win its second consecutive game and first conference win of the season in a 2-0 victory against Emerson.
Despite the breezy conditions, the Pride had no problems connecting passes and applying pressure.
The scoring opened with a controversial penalty for the home side. A precise pass from midfielder Ryan Bere to forward Chris Cruz was the first real chance for the pride in the ninth minute.
Emerson Goalkeeper Beckett Hobbs rushed out to break up the play and took Cruz right off his feet in the box.
There was no call.
That was until a minutes-long discussion between the referees awarded Cruz with a penalty, much to the outrage of the Emerson defense.
Cruz then confidently bulleted his first goal of the season past the diving goalkeeper.
“Yeah, he was fantastic,” Springfield Head Coach Tommy Crabill said. “His effort is unmatched, and he even played a new position down the stretch of the second half.”
From there, the Pride seemingly out-hustled Emerson to every ball and kept them to a single shot on goal until halftime.
With the lead, Crabill didn’t allow his side to get complacent.
“You want to treat the second half as a brand new, 0-0 game, and prepare yourselves for new defensive challenges,” Crabill said.
Emerson showed some life to begin the second half, amassing corners and shots, none of which caused a ton of panic for Springfield’s defense, who notched their second consecutive clean sheet.
“They’ve been great communicators and connected, especially during the toughest moments of the game,” Crabill said.
Any conference matchup will surely entice physical play, and this game was no different. Five yellow cards were handed, including a brief skirmish between Springfield’s Tristan Moran and Emerson’s Ivan Bruce in the 61st minute, with both being booked.
An insurance goal was certainly needed to take the pressure off the offense, and in the 73rd minute, a goal kick from Springfield’s Noah Pote landed untouched in the midfield.
Forward Thornton Parker took it in stride and burst through the middle of the field, left-footing the second goal into the bottom corner of the net.
Thornton put the game away with a pass from an unlikely source: a goalkeeper’s assist.
With a record of 2-2-1 and 1-0 in conference play, the Pride look to keep the win streak alive against Wesleyan on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at Brock-Affleck Field.
Pictures courtesy of Springfield Athletics