Hillcrest FC 9 – 4 Centro de Adoracion Vida

Goals:
‘6 Peter Duane
’12 Tim Knipp
’18 Tim Knipp
’21 Carlo Furlan
’29 Geoff Mumley
’34 Carlo Furlan
’36 Tim Knipp
’41 Carlo Furlan
’47 Carlo Furlan

Hillcrest FC earned their second win of the season Saturday evening by a score of 9 – 4 over Centro de Adoracion Vida. The outburst of goals was driven by two players in particular, Carlo Furlan and Tim Knipp; both players scored a hat trick and Furlan added a fourth goal to his total. Between the two of them, they accounted for all the goals the team needed. Peter Duane and Geoff Mumley also contributed goals to the offensive onslaught. It was just one of those nights; two of Furlan’s goals were of the tap-in variety after he deftly avoided a charging Centro keeper on both plays.

Defensively, Hillcrest maintained its high level of play carried over from their last game against Jesus Maneuver. Matt Meyer continued to be the vocal, on-field general organizing the entire team during every push by Centro. There were a number of moments where the defense was strained to the breaking point but it would not break. Every player on the field contributed to what ended up being a complete team effort. Coach Knipp was pleased with the performance of his team, “I’m very pleased with progress we’ve shown over the past two games, I only wish we could have played at this level from the beginning of the season.”

Hillcrest has enjoyed a strong and loyal fan base for the entire season and they were out in force on Saturday night. The nicknames they came up with for the players could be heard across the pitch. “Nice goal Knipper-Snapper! Hey there Old Man Mumley! Yeah Sweet Pete! Fur-lan-do! There goes Whitey Tighty!” Ryan Shay, one of the most vocal supporters, was happy with the result, “After a series of disappointing games, it is heartwarming to see HCFC’s teamwork pay a dividend of victory.” Megan Mailhot, wife of forward Jake Mailhot, said, “I could see the guys playing better as a team. There was a lot more passing this game, a lot more effective passing.” Truly insightful comments from the spectators.

Hopefully this victory will mark the beginning of a run of strong play that will carry over into the playoffs in two weeks. Hillcrest finishes the regular season with another home game against their likely playoff opponent, The Donks. This will be an excellent preview for the challenge Hillcrest will face in the playoffs. Coach Knipp is adamant that the team will not hold anything back, he wants to maintain the momentum his team has gained without sacrificing anything. The game is on Saturday night at 9:00.