Men's First Team Loses at Steel City 3-0
- Andi Revesz
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
The Men’s First Team started their MWPL season away last Wednesday against Steel City Football Club at Slammers Stadium in Joliet, IL and came home with a 3-0 loss.
Goals:
Baumgartner (SCFC): 12’, 36’, 73’
The match started off with a high shot from Enzo Dagatti and a diving slide from Quentin “Q” Benedetto. Andres Rocha took a shot from midfield, but it went to the right of the net in the eighth minute.
Ameer Abdullah and Benedetto each blocked a shot from attacking Steel City players before Steel City’s Christian Baumgartner put the ball into the left side of the net off of a corner kick in the 12th minute.
With a 1-0 lead, Steel City made another attempt on a corner, but failed as a header went over the net. The Rooks followed similarly with a header by Benedetto going too wide off a corner kick.
ECFC’s goalkeeper Joey Galante made his first save of the night after catching a header in the 17th minute, and found support from the defenders after they blocked a Steel City shot. A sliding save by Galante closed out the 21st minute and Abdullah brought the ball back into the Rooks’ possession with a header.
Following a Rooks corner kick attempt, Henry Miller took a shot from above the box, which Steel City’s goalkeeper caught. Two offsides calls on Steel City interrupted play before Haris Sarajlija’s shot was caught and Bardia Kimiavi’s went left.
Baumgartner scored his second goal of the match in the 36th minute, which soared past the defenders and goalkeeper into the bottom left of the net.
Down 2-0, the Rooks remained focused as Dagatti handled the ball around Steel City defenders for a shot caught by the goalkeeper. In the 40th minute, a Steel City player received a yellow card, allowing Benedetto to take an unsuccessful free kick.
Steel City closed out the first half with two goal attempts which were called off — one for interference and one for being offsides — and Gino Miranda received a yellow card for a late tackle. Going into halftime, Steel City were ahead 2-0.
The second half started out cold with two missed shots for both teams. In the 57th minute, another Steel City player received a yellow card for a rough tackle. Benedetto then blocked a Steel City shot on goal and Dagatti made two more unsuccessful shots while pushing up into Steel City’s third.
An Edgewater corner kick was then saved by the goalkeeper and released back into play, where Santos took a shot right into the hands of the keeper.
Baumgartner was then awarded a penalty kick after a foul by Abdullah and made the shot straight in the center of the net while Galante dove away in the 73rd minute, completing a hattrick and giving Steel City a 3-0 lead.
The match fizzled out after the made penalty kick, with Galante making another save and ECFC shots either being blocked by defenders or going out of bounds. The Rooks ended full time with a 3-0 loss.
The Men’s First Team will play their first home match this Saturday May 31 at 7 p.m. against Strikers Fox Valley.
