Falcons Lose a Close One

The FLC men's soccer team played another close match on Friday afternoon, only to come up a little bit short in a 1-0 loss to Feather River College in Quincy.  Coach Martin Roberts changed his alignment in preparation for Feather River's attacking style, going with a 5-3-2 setup with five defenders across the back to try to slow down their opponent.  The strategy was effective as the Falcons' defense, led by Brendan Fitzgerald, Richard James, and Logan Guler (just cleared after two weeks out of action from a concussion) shut down the Golden Eagles. 

With the score still tied at zero twelve minutes into the second half, FLC goalkeeper Patrick McDade had to leave the field due to a bloodied face, the result of a collision with a Feather River player (who received a yellow card on the foul).  Within a minute, a Feather River shot deflected off another player and the goal post before it trickled into the net for the only goal of the game.  The teams continued to battle as FLC shifted their alignment to 5-2-3 to put pressure up front, but Feather River effectively countered by dribbling to the sidelines and corners in order to waste time.

"It was a tough loss, but we played a fantastic game against a very strong team made up of international players from England, Scotland, and Australia," remarked coach Roberts, referring to Feather River's out-of-country recruiting habits.  "The boys were still positive on the ride home and are looking forward to Tuesday's game at Lake Tahoe."