Midweek Malaise for Wankas

Wankas FC did itself no favors on Thursday evening as they followed up their Sunday victory over AmaZulu with a lackluster performance against Hoosier Daddy. Hoosier Daddy has proven a bogey team for the Wankas in recent years despite the balance of talent and experience leaning heavily in favor of WFC. And so it was again during this mid-week contest.

The game began brightly enough, but WFC was soon on the back foot as they failed to maintain possession and shape in the center of the park. The first half was an open affair, but actual opportunities were minimal for both sides. Neither team was able to keep possession long enough to create any meaningful attacks, and route 1 soccer was the order of the evening. The only event of consequence in the first half came late on when Aaron Grant cleanly tackled a Daddy along the sideline. As he toppled over the challenge, the already clumsy HD player lost his mind temporarily and landed a solid elbow to Aaron’s head. Even the HD teammates were at a loss and instructed him to leave ASAP. Red-carded and shamed, the Daddies would be forced to play out the game reduced to 10 men. 0-0 at the break.

The halftime team talk centered around gaining control of the midfield and utilizing the space that would no doubt be available with one less player on the field. A warning to step up the intensity or risk giving the Daddies hope proved salient as within minutes of the restart the Wankas found themselves a goal down. A Wankas throw-in to the middle seemed innocuous enough, but as possession was lost several Wankas backed off the Daddy attacker. Two touches later the ball was in the back of the net, as the HD attacker let fly from 25 yards and produced a shot that knuckled and dipped over the outstretched arm of Jeff Graham. The Wankas were shocked, and a reply was not immediately forthcoming. Sensing the precariousness of their situation, the Daddies dropped deep and stifled most of the Wankas’ attacks. Their attacks lacked creativity, and as more Wankas pressed forward in a desperate bid for an equalizer the defense was left exposed. Several game-saving tackles were put in by the back line, and Jeff Graham erased any doubts with a string of excellent saves. One in particular was spectacularly caught and held from a shot at very close range; surely the Daddy thought he’d scored.

As the game moved into its final stages the Wankas opted to go for broke. Beginning with a switch to 3-5-2, and ultimately becoming a 2-6-2, the Wankas threw caution to the wind. On more than one occasion the equalizer looked certain, but a few questionable offside calls combined with some profligacy in front of goal and a couple good saves from the HD keeper meant the drama would go to the wire. And so it did, as with only 2 minutes remaining a fully committed Wankas attack resulted in a ball coming to the feet of Aaron Gordon. His shot-fake and cut-back were enough to force a panicked foul out of a Daddy defender, providing one final opportunity at redemption. Aaron lined up his free kick, but it was not as sweetly struck as those in the first game of the season. Nevertheless, plenty of pace and swerve caused problems, and a deflection was enough to wrong-foot the keeper who could only watch as the ball bounced beyond him into the far corner. Not pretty, and it will certainly feel like points dropped instead of a point gained at this juncture of the season. Final: 1-1. Scoring: Aaron Gordon (unassisted)

The Wankas had an opportunity to briefly go top of the table but will have to settle for second place with several other teams holding games in hand. They will attempt to redeem themselves in just under a fortnight as they take on Indiana Impact in Mooresville on Sunday, October 12.