Club Atletico Saint Louis and Little Rock Rangers Finish with 1-1 Draw
By Peyton Rives/Club Atletico Saint Louis
Club Atletico Saint Louis (1-3-2) and Little Rock Rangers (3-3-1) drew 1-1 on Saturday evening
under the lights of War Memorial Stadium.
As the score indicated, the game was very balanced between both teams. Each team had
multiple dangerous offensive possessions, but both CASTL and Little Rock’s defenses came up
with big saves. Going into halftime, the score was 0-0.
The Bluebirds, similar to their previous game against the Rangers, were the first to find the back
of the net.
In the 52 nd minute, CASTL was awarded a corner kick. After working the ball over to Alsadiq
Hasan, he crossed it over the Little Rock defense and straight to Josh Ward. Then Ward stuck
his leg out and drove the ball past the keeper, giving the away team the 1-0 lead.
The goal marked Ward’s first of the season. He joins Liam Collins, Alsadiq Hasan, Eric Lopez,
and Adama Kante, who each have scored at least one goal.
The lead did not last long, though, as Little Rock’s Lance Crabtree found the net in the 62 nd
minute, leveling the game.
For the remainder of the game, both teams traded offensive attacks but were unable to score the
go-ahead goal to gain three points.
One Bluebird, Brian Mbauni, did leave the game with an injury, and the team was forced to play
down a man for the remainder of the game due to lack of substitutes.
Down a player, the Bluebirds found it more difficult to attack on offense, allowing the Rangers
to have a few close opportunities near the end of the game, but Little Rock was unable to
convert.
As CASTL gained one point, they remain in fourth place in the Heartland Conference standings,
which would qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today.
Next week, the Bluebirds continue on the road, as they travel to Kansas to take on FC Wichita
for the second time this season. In the Bluebirds opening game, they drew against Wichita. The
game is set for 7:00 pm CT on Sunday, June 23.
Photo Credit: Joe Martinez
