Hillcrest FC 4 – 6 Scoregasms

Goals:
‘2 Brad Widman
’34 Tim Knipp
’37 Tim Knipp
’44 Mike Gelsynse

The 2014 season began on Saturday night as Hillcrest FC played Scoregasms to open their second campaign. A number of new faces joined the old cast including two of the goal scorers. Unfortunately, Hillcrest was unable to overcome the strong play of the Scoregasms and lost by a score of 4-6. The team hadn’t played together since last season and because there was no preseason preparation this year, for many on the team, it was the first time they had ever played together. There were times it showed on the field but, all things considered, Hillcrest played admirably.

Last year, these recaps were pretty standard affairs, a recounting of all the major highlights of the game. I’ll still do that but this year, I’d like to mix it up with a few individual awards for each game.

Recap
The scoring started quick as Brad Widman from Hillcrest FC rocketed a shot past the Scoregasms’ keeper in just the second minute. Just a few minutes later a Scoregasms foul led to a free kick opportunity for Hillcrest, just outside the penalty box. Jake Mailhot stepped up and took a shot on goal. The ball beat the keeper but couldn’t beat the crossbar as it hit right in the upper ‘V’ and bounced out harmlessly. Scoregasms would score twice in the first half to take the lead at halftime.

In the second half, Scoregasms opened the scoring with a quick breakaway and a nicely slotted goal past a diving Aaron Dutton. Hillcrest would a make furious comeback attempt with two goals by the captain,Tim Knipp, in less than 5 minutes. With the score tied, Hillcrest couldn’t hang on as Scoregasms added three more goals with Hillcrest answering with just a single additional goal.

Player of the Game
Aaron Dutton – The shots came hard and fast from Scoregasms all night long but Hillcrest goalkeeper, Aaron Dutton, made some amazing saves to keep the score competitive. The stats don’t reflect the amount of work he did, the shots he stopped, and the breakaways he quelled.

Noobie Award
This award goes out to one of the new players on the team, Levi Gamble, who played hard and fast even though he hadn’t played soccer in years.

Old Man Award
This award is normally awarded to one of the veterans of Hillcrest FC, not necessarily someone who’s advanced in age. This week, it goes out to someone who fits both criteria, Tim Knipp! Maybe it was the early afternoon game of Lazer Tag that got him all riled up but, for a five minute period in the second half, he was unstoppable.

Next Week
Hillcrest plays again on Saturday, January 25 at 10:15pm at the Bellingham Sportsplex. Their opponent, Monaco, will be playing their first game of the season so no one knows what to expect from them.