Berlin attempts a heroic comeback playing one short, but eventually succumbs to the division champions
We had a good game at Coyer Field last weekend, between FC Berlin and division leaders Rochester NY FC. After about 25 minutes of parity, in which both teams traded a few good chances, it was the home team opening the score, when Sean Burke -who else- connected on a cross by Jason Hernandez. That was a significant moment, considering that their opponents were undefeated and had only conceded three goals so far! The momentum didn’t last long as Rochester tied the game a few minutes later via Kyle Pollard. That would be the score at halftime.
Burke needed to be substituted at halftime due to injury, and even though Gabriel Rocha, his replacement, did a good job, Berlin lost a little of its offensive strength. To add insult to injury -well, quite literally- Rochester NY FC scored twice in as many minutes with two very quick counters (Glodie Mata was the scorer), and Berlin found itself one player short just a minute after that after a red card was issued. Undeterred, our team kept pushing and Brett Springer’s effort was rewarded, putting things 2-3 and giving Berlin some hope. For a few minutes, it looked like our team was going to be able to achieve such an improbable task, as it generated chance after chance in front of the Rochester goalkeeper. However, with 10 minutes to go, another counterattack found our depleted backline out of shape and allowed Mata to complete his hat-trick and set the 4-2 final score.
It was a commendable effort by our guys, who scored twice against a rival that had only conceded three times in eight games, but it was not to be. Berlin now has to wait for a few favourable results so they can face Chantilly Forever FC on Saturday with a playoff spot in sight. For Rochester NY FC, this win meant they won the regular season so they will have a bye in the first round of playoffs.
Other results this past week:
* 12/Jun/2024: FCY New York 3-2 Kilimanjaro Bandits FC at Buffalo State Coyer Field
* 15/Jun/2024: Upstate United FC 4-0 Kilimanjaro Bandits FC at Onondaga CC – Chuck Wilbur Field
* 15/Jun/2024: FCY New York 5-2 Chantilly Forever FC at Buffalo State Coyer Field
* 16/Jun/2024: Smugtown FC 0-0 Syracuse FC at Wheatland-Chili HS – Stadium 2
* 16/Jun/2024: Amlima FC 4-3 United Elite Krajisnik FC at Henninger High School
You can check the updated standings here
