Palm Bay Spring Challenge

Hoping to follow in the steps of the great success achieved to date, we traveled to Melbourne, Florida to attend the Palm Bay Spring Challenge, an event with a markedly superior level of teams. Group play saw us show up for the opening match unprepared and with only 12 players in 98 degree weather, losing 4-0 to a formidable Hollywood Wildcats team. After regrouping, and adding another recently arriving player, we met a strong Treasure Coast team which had won its opening match in convincing form, and we won by a 6-2 thrashing of the overwhelmed team, on goals by Daniel Lovera (3 goals) and Daniel Sanchez ( 3 goals). Moving on to game three, we went up against our city rival the Weston Fury, opening the score with a fine combination of plays to take a 1-0 lead at halftime. After a very strong second half performance by the opponent, they tied the match, with 15 minutes remaining. Back and forth, both teams had many opportunities thwarted by excellent goal keeping and solid play on all lines, but the winner cam on a breakaway by Daniel Lovera on a superb pass from fellow striker Daniel Sanchez, which cemented the win by a final of 2-1. This victory gave us passage to the final, where we were to meet the same Hollywood team which earlier had thrashed us.

In the final match, the fourth game in scorching heat and humidity with a minimal squad of players, we met the strong Hollywood team once again. The game was a classic match which kept every one on edge after an exchange of first half goals for both squads. Coming out in the second half, the team began to seriously feel the effects of so many matches during only two days and a reduced player pool. Then Hollywood Wildcats, on a brilliantly conceived set play to a header, took the lead 2-1 with 15 minutes remaining. We battled and made every attempt to tie the score but the opponent’s keeper would continually deny us. Then, in what seemed like the potential tying goal, on a clean breakaway one on one with the keeper, we missed our golden chance, and our hopes of another championship diminished. We lost to a truly excellent South Florida team which itself was beginning to make a great name for itself, and ended runner’s up / finalists in this most worthy event.

#palmbay #springs #challenge