Men's First Team Wins Big In State Cup Match Against Gazelle Organization 3-0
- Gareth Mullins
- Jun 20
- 3 min read
The Men's First Team beat Gazelle Organization in a tense Thursday night at Foster Turf Field 3-0, securing their spot in the Illinois State Cup quarterfinals.
GOALS:
Tagbae 15' (A Aguilera), 23' (A Rocha)
Acheampong 31'
Both the Rooks and Gazelle started off with near chances, setting the tone for the rest of the match early. William Acheampong just missed Gazelle's goal in the third minute, shooting diagonally from left to right. Gazelle soon responded at 13' after sending a long ball up the right side of the pitch, passing left through the box to a Gazelle player, who missed the final target right.
Shortly after Gazelle's chance, Eduardo "Lalo" Aguilera and Kevin Tagbe started the Rooks' scoring streak. At 15', Aguilera would wrestle the ball past Gazelle's defenders in the midfield, passing to Tagbe on the right wing. After securing the ball and moving it upfield past the defender marking him, Tagbe launched the ball into the corner on a sliding kick.
Tagbe's initial goal gave the Rooks' offense the motivation needed to continue to test Gazelle's defenders. Rui Reis would have a shot on goal only two minutes after Tagbe's net after getting the ball from Lucas Sampson on the left, but Gazelle's keeper was ready to defelct the ball away. Gazelle responded physically, forcing the ball back in the midfield with a series of tackles on the Rooks offense. This back-and-forth nature would continue, causing multiple yellow cards including one on Reis at 22' that resulted in a Gazelle freekick that was defended by Andres Rocha, who's ball-handling prevented the ball from reaching the Rooks' third.
After getting the ball at 23', Rocha would continue to pile on the offensive pressure, passing to Tagbe on the right. Using his speed to run past both the defender on the right as well as Gazelle's keeper, Tagbe would secure his brace with a well placed diagonal shot.
Despite being down by 2 goals, Gazelle were not going down without a fight. Working the ball back up to the Rooks' third from the left, Gazelle managed to beat Rooks keeper Joey Galante at 27', leaving the net empty for an attempted shot. Quinten "Q" Benedetto was there to stop the shot however, deflecting the shot on goal with his left foot.
Following the near goal, William Acheampong, who was effectively defending the midfield prior, was ready to go on the offensive. Winning the ball from a tackle in the midfield, Acheampong ran up the field and scored a long shot on the left from outside the box at 31', sending the Rooks fans into a frenzy and extending ECFC's lead 3-0.
The remainder of the first half consisted of the Rooks defending their third with precision. Galante was calm and collected in goal, making passes and plays in the midfield after defending against Gazelle's offense. Rocha, Tagbe, and Enzo Dagatti would continue to go after goals, but fell short due to the readiness of Gazelle's goalkeeper. Ultimately, the calm demeanor of the Rooks would work well for them, preventing Gazelle from scoring at the end of the first 45.
The second half had the Rooks on the defensive. Gazelle going into the game after halftime were energized, drawing multiple freekicks and cornerkicks while maintaining the majority of posession. Despite not having much of the ball, the Rooks remained steadfast, preventing crucial opportunities from set pieces thanks to the likes of Ameer Abdullah in the box. Galante made a memorable save a 65' as well, making a diving save left to preserve his clean sheet. Gazelle would close the match, with its hotly contested midfield created 5 minutes of stoppage time, with multiple shots that barely missed the net, giving ECFC the victory.
The Men's First Team are set to their next opponent, Strikers Fox Valley, away at Marmion Academy Stadium this Saturday at 3:00 pm.
