The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Finish Central American run with full squad
After suffering through the microbiological warfare that Central America can wreak upon the gringos and coming through with one win and one loss, the Crested Butte Titans soccer team headed to the beaches of Salinitas for some well needed R-n-R.
Feasting upon the unlimited buffets and refueling with bottomless cups of local fruit juices and a variety of Coca-Cola products, the Titans soaked up the sun on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean mixing in some beach soccer training.
The Titans team found itself in an impromptu beach soccer showdown with a team made up of Brazilian vacationers and some Guatemalan beachcombers.
The opposing team was formidable to say the least but the Titans took to the unique style of play, implementing an offense built around size.
While the final score was hard to come by, onlookers credited the Titans with a win and the team took their celebration to the poolside bar for several more rounds of virgin cocktails to replenish the system for the discotheque that night.
After two nights and three days on the beach, the team had beat the Central American bug and were back to full strength as they returned to Nueva Concepcion and lined up for their third and final match of the trip on Wednesday, June 29.
Local organizers pitted the Titans team against club squad C.E. Canton Los Chilamates on the same field the Titans recorded their first international win just five days earlier.
While small in size, the field surface was as good as one could ask for having been carved out of the surrounding farmland making for choice soil for growing grass.
Coaches Mike Martin and Than Acuff made some line-up adjustments prior to the game, moving Cal Fenerty from his defensive midfield position to the top of the striker line in an effort to create havoc up front.
Once again the Titans struggled with the field’s size as their slow build-up and midfield possession style of play resulted in numerous turnovers at midfield. Chilamates took advantage of the missed passes and continued to drive the ball straight down the center of the field for numerous shots on net.
“The midfield disappeared in that game,” says Titans captain Ben Reaman. “Their team had four solid defenders and six up front to assault our goal. We tried to do too many simple things instead of playing over the top ball.”
Chilamates broke the scoreless tie 15 minutes into the first half when a shot from 25 yards out caught Titans net minder Ian Dethloff off guard and found the far upper corner.
Choice words from the Titans coaching staff had the team adjust to a more kick-and-run style of play in an effort to get numbers on offense as quickly as possible.
Fenerty’s efforts up-front were starting to pay off until a collision with a Chilamates midfielder resulted in an open gash above his eye, resulting in his exit from the field for a trip to the local clinic.
The Titans continued to press forward working the sidelines and crossing the ball into the penalty area but the crosses were missing the mark and the ball slipped through in front of the Chilamates net unattended.
A throw in 26 minutes into the game provided the Titans first opportunity to get numbers in front of the Chilamates net and the work paid off. Ben Reaman took the toss and found J.J. O’Neal open in the six-yard box. O’Neal wasted no time with the ball, playing a one-touch volley past the outstretched hands of the Chilamates keeper to tie the game 1-1.
The Titans kept the pressure on the Chilamates net through the second half and the defense of Nolan Blunck, Liam Mortell and Kaleb Schultz protected the Titans net. Dethloff turned any shots that did slip through away and the teams finished regulation notched in a 1-1 tie.
Typically teams play two more periods of extended time soccer but with the field scheduled for a second match that day, the ref made the call to immediately go to a penalty shot format with just three shooters per team.
Prawit Sitthi and Reaman netted their penalty shots as did Chilamates but Jesse Reeves was denied, leaving the game in the hands of Dethloff.
Dethloff stopped the shot, forcing the shootout to go to a fourth shooter.
Luis Aguirre was picked to finish the game and shot right down the middle to score and the Chilamates shooter sent the ball over the crossbar and the Titans recorded their second international win.
“I feel like a lot of us wanted to get that win and there was more energy, especially from our defense,” says Reaman. “It was exciting. A shootout on foreign soil is exhilarating.”
