Port City FC Defeats New Orleans Jesters 4-2 in U-19 Pilot
By Port City FC
Port City Sounders and the New Orleans Jesters squared off for the first time on Sunday, September 20th at rainy Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Mississippi. It was the first game for Port City, after two postponed matches, and the second for the Jesters who tied Southern States in their first matchup.
It didn’t take long for the game to get exciting. Port City’s Mohammed Diallo dribbled to the end line and put a first minute pass across the front of the net to William Hernandez Sexton who slotted it home, giving the Sounders an early 1-0 lead.
The game remained balanced for the next 25 minutes when Mohammed Diallo crossed a ball to Cavan Doherty who finished with a well-struck ball in the 29th minute, making the score 2-0 in favor of the Sounders.
The score remained 2-0 to the half with the Jesters having three good opportunities in front of the Sounders’ net, but several nice saves by Sounders keeper Garret Wise kept them at bay.
The scoring continued in the 53rd minute when Sounders left back Ryan Green slipped a ball down the line that was grabbed by Mahdy Hamden who slid it past the Jesters keeper for a 3-0 Sounders’ lead.
Six minutes later, Diallo and Doherty combined again to put the Sounders up 4-0 in the 59th minute. Diallo slipped by his defender and crossed the ball across the face of the goal to the rushing Doherty who found the net.
In the 64th minute, the Jesters got on the scoreboard when Mason Morise swiped the ball from a Sounders midfielder, turned, and blasted a ball from 30 yards out into the upper right corner of the net. The shot whizzed by Wise who had little chance of making the save.
Four minutes later, in the 68th minute, after the Sounders gave up a corner kick to the Jesters, Austyn Millet took a ball that had been poorly cleared by the Sounders and slid it into the corner as a Sounder tried desperately to clear it off before it crossed the line.
With the score tightening, the Jesters pressed forward after the second-half water break looking for more momentum, finding a chance in the 75th minute when Morise beat a couple Sounders down the line and crossed the ball, but it went all the way across the front of the goal to the touchline. The Sounders held possession for most of the last 15 minutes and finished out the game with a 4-2 victory.
The Sounders will be back in action Sunday, September 27th against AFC Mobile at 4:00 pm at Pearl River Community College. The Jesters will host Pensacola FC on September 27th at 4:00 pm.
Photo Credit: Rob Folse
