Men's First Team Ties 1-1 in Tense Chicago Ghost Match

The Men's First Team huddles before kickoff. Credit: Nicholas Balabanoff

The Men's First Team tied their MWPL match against Chicago Ghost Saturday night 1-1 at Hoyne Field in a tense match full of physicality and back-and-forth possession.

GOALS:

Aguilera 40' (Rocha A)

Chicago Ghost 92'

Lucas Sampson pushes the ball forwards. Credit: Nicholas Balabanoff

Both the Rooks and Ghost started the match calm and collected, preventing either team from getting a shot on goal until the 12th minute. Defensive efforts from Lucas Sampson on the wing and William Acheampong in the midfield commanded the ball away from the front of the Rooks' goal. When Ghost made the first offensive move of the match at 12', goalkeeper Aidan Crawford remained steadfast, catching the powerful shot as it sailed towards him.

William Acheampong and a Chicago Ghost player clash. Credit: Nicholas Balabanoff

Chicago Ghost's offense would continue to heat up, but consistent handling of the ball from the likes of Andres Rocha prevented them from securing quality shots. At 22', Ghost managed multiple shots on goal in the same offensive measure, but diving saves from Crawford and defensive measures from Quinten "Q" Benedetto held the game to a scoreless stand still.

Eduardo "Lalo" Aguilera and a Chicago Ghost player fight for the ball. Credit: Nicholas Balabanoff

The Rooks would be the first team to break the draw, creating a solid push forward into Ghost's third right before halftime. Sampson, beating Ghost's defender on the right wing, pushed the ball forwards across the field just right of Ghost's box. Seeing Rocha open inside of it, Sampson passed the ball inside, meeting Rocha close to center. Juggling the ball away from Ghost's defensive backs, Rocha would evetually find an opening to pass to Eduardo "Lalo" Aguilera, who would launch the ball past Ghost's keeper with a powerful strike in the 40th minute.

Murtadha Kamil and a Chicago Ghost player collide. Credit: Nicholas Balabanoff

The Rooks maintained offensive pressure going into the second half, but Chicago Ghost were not phased. Murtadha Kamil almost had a goal in the 46th minute, but pressure from Ghost forced his ball just above the net. The Rooks would attempt to strike again from the concern after pushing the ball up from a Ghost Free Kick in the 52th, but Ghost's set piece defensive prowess resulted in the move falling flat.

Alan Alonso and a Chicago Ghost player contest the ball in the midfield. Credit: Nicholas Balabanoff

Ghost would turn the tables heading into the end of the game, resulting in multiple yellow cards on the Rooks as they tried to maintain their lead by any means necessary. Mutliple free kicks ensured from outside of the Rooks box, but the defense provided by Alan Alonso and Roberto Cardano among others kept the game in their favor. Going into extra time, the game plan for the Rooks was simple: drop back and defend their third with everything they have.

However, Ghost would find their equalizer in extra time. Pressing the ball on the left wing, a Ghost player would shoot diagonally towards the Rooks' goal, ricocheting the ball off of another player. In the process, the ball jerked away from Crawford's reach, ending the game 1-1 in the 92th minute.

Edgewater Castle FC Men's First Team goalkeeper Aidan Crawford and a Chicago Ghost player embrace after the game. Credit: Nicholas Balabanoff

With the result from the match, neither the Rooks or Ghost have yet to beat each other in MWPL play, with both prior matches last season also resulting in draws. While the result was heartbreaking for Edgewater Castle fans, one thing is for certain; the rivalry between ECFC and Chicago Ghost has and will continue to be must-see soccer.

Be sure to catch the Men's next matchup as they face Gazelle Organization in the second round of the Illinois State Cup this Thursday, June 19th at 8:30 pm at Foster Turf Field.