Atlantic City FC Settles for a Draw with Hershey FC 2-2

By Michael Heilman/Atlantic City FC

Atlantic City FC secured one point Sunday afternoon in the Keystone Conference of the NPSL
when they tied the Hershey FC 2-2 after almost two hours of play.

The first half began with the Aces showing disciplined play by midfielders Joao Brum and Ryan
Nigro who directed traffic in the midfield for long stretches of good play. The ball was played
into forward Walter Calderon who bypassed the defense for a shot that landed just wide left. The
Aces would go on to having several chances early on in the first half when a couple of corner
kicks were taken followed by headers that missed the goal wide to either side.

Another chance came for the Aces came when Jacques Francois would have his attack end early
by an offsides call after receiving a setup pass from Calderon. Hershey would then penetrate the
midfield as the Aces play was disorganized. This led to frustration on the parts of both teams
and tactical errors.

The Aces lost sight of the ball in the 42 nd minute when Hershey FC would strike when Christian
Coridon passed to John Woodhead split the Aces defense and zipped one passed goalkeeper Matt
Perrella to take the lead 1-0 heading into halftime. The Aces then orchestrated a short charge, but
it ended with the whistle for halftime.

In the second half, Atlantic City FC covered ground looking to create chances. That chance
came in the 54 th minute when they were awarded a penalty kick. Brum took the shot and put one
past goalkeeper Clement May to level the score 1-1. The Aces would then take the lead when
Brum lifted one over the goalkeeper’s head and into the back of the net to give the Aces a 2-1
lead in the 63 rd minute. With these two goals, Brum now has three for the season.

The Aces defense came up with a huge save when Giuseppe Barone prevented Hershey FC from
scoring on an empty net by heading the ball out of bounds. Hershey FC did tie the game up in
the 71 st minute when Christian Coridon put one past Perrella to even the game at 2-2. The
second half also had its share of fouls with more yellow cards issued on both teams for defensive
tackles and pass interference. Two cards were issued to the Aces, and one to Hershey. The play
would continue with both teams going toe to toe before the whistle would blow, ending the game
in a 2-2 tie.

The Aces now find themselves in a five-way tie for first place.

Photos Courtesy of Atlantic City FC