New York Shockers Fall 1-0 in Season Opener

By New York Shockers

The New York Shockers fell to their rivals, the Kingston Stockade FC by a score of 1-0 on Saturday evening.  This was a tight affair from the beginning, with both teams putting a lot of pressure on each other.  There were not many clear-cut chances for either side, and each team had to work very hard for their chances.  When they did get their chances, some very strong goalkeepers were able to make the big saves that were needed.  Ryan Henning ended the game with six saves for the Shockers, and Dylan McDermott had five saves for the Stockade. 

The game started off with a healthy amount of possession from the Stockade, with the Shockers sitting back and playing more on the counterattack and waiting for a mistake to put the pressure on Kingston.  The Shockers ended up getting the first big chance of the game in the 13th minute by forcing a turnover close to Kingston’s goal, but Tayo Adefioye was not able to put in the back of the net.

Only a few minutes later in the 16th minute, the Stockade got their first goal of the game from their talisman Michael Corbi.  Off a corner, Corbi was able to get past the Shockers defender and beat them to the cross from Jared Juleau.  A powerful header from close range made it 1-0 for the Stockade.  Kingston had the momentum and gave the Shockers a tough 10 minutes after that with a couple of close chances. 

In the 29th minute the Shockers started to turn up their pressure even more.  Adel Cekic had a very good cross into the box that Adefioye just missed but forced a big save from the Kingston keeper.  The rest of the half was controlled by the Shockers with one of their best stretches of the game.  There were several close calls, especially with a shot from Pedro Espindola in the 32nd minute that he put just wide.  Kingston was able to hold off until the half and led at halftime. 

The second half had a choppy start with both teams forcing several turnovers, and neither able to have solid possession.  Kingston was able to get another great chance in the 59th minute, with Ryan Henning pulling off an incredible save on a Kingston free kick from 30 yards out.  The shot could not have been placed any better into the top left corner, but Henning was able to get a good read on it and stretch out to deflect it behind the goal for a corner. 

The Shockers had significantly more possession in the second half, and had a couple good chances, especially after the 80th minute.  Filippo Bellu came on as a substitute at the start of the second half and had two big chances.  The first came in the 86th minute with a shot right in front that he pulled wide, as well as a header off a cross in extra time that was just missed.  Kingston was able to hold on again at the end of the half, shutting out the Shockers and sending most of the 700 in attendance home disappointed.

Kingston’s win takes them to 1-0-0 with 3 points in the table, while the Shockers falls to 0-0-1 and having 0 points.  The two teams will meet again on July 1 at Tenney Stadium in Poughkeepsie.  The Shockers next game is a road game against Valeo FC on May 13.  The Shockers will return home on May 20 with their first meeting against Syracuse FC. 

Photo Credit: Amber Yarter