Hello everyone, I hope you had a good holiday weekend. Matchweek 8 is in the books for NISA, with the top two teams in the Eastern Conference staying ahead of the pack. We also have two thrilling draws in Savannah and Orange County to discuss. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s recap all the matchweek eight action in the NISA league.
Maryland Bobcats FC 2 Georgia FC 1
We had one midweek match to recap a week ago as the Maryland Bobcats FC overcame a 1-0 deficit to beat Georgia FC 2-1 at the Plex. We had no goals in the first half, but in the second half, the Bobcats thought they scored first, but the referee called a foul, and the goal was waived off. Shortly afterward, Georgia FC took advantage with a strike from Jeffrey Otoo to put GAFC ahead 1-0. It was close throughout the second half as the Bobcats kept pushing for an equalizer. Just as we got close to stoppage time, Georgia FC committed a foul, and the Bobcats were awarded a penalty. Darwin Espinal takes it and scores to tie the match at one. As we got deeper into stoppage time, the Bobcats found a winner from a corner kick. Espinal sent it into the box, and Abdou Thiam buries the header into the back of the net to seal the win for Maryland. Georgia FC now has back-to-back losses, while the Bobcats remain undefeated at the Plex. The Bobcats have won three consecutive matches and will be on the road on Saturday, June 1, to face the Savannah Clovers FC.
Georgia FC 0 Michigan Stars FC 2
On Saturday, the Michigan Stars FC avenged their loss a couple of weeks ago to Georgia FC with a 2-0 shutout at Silverbacks Park. Georgia FC had some good chances early on in this match from Patrick Okonkwo, Ian Cerro, and Lamin Jawneh but couldn’t get past Stars goalkeeper Tatenda Mkuruva. Praise Maduekwe would find the back of the net in the 20th minute as Steven Juncaj connects with Maduekwe, and he slots it to give the Stars a 1-0 lead. In the second half, the Stars would strike again as Leon Maric sends a cross in the box, and it deflects off a Georgia FC defender and goes towards Steven Juncaj, and he buries it to give Michigan a 2-0 advantage. Georgia FC could not pull one back as Mkuruva played well throughout the day to earn his third clean sheet of the season. Michigan has won five out of its last six league matches and returned to the top of the NISA Eastern Conference. The Stars will be on the road again this weekend to take on Club de Lyon FC on Sunday. Georgia FC is now on a three-match winless streak and will have to prepare for round 3 of the Georgia Derby on Wednesday, June 5, at Memorial Stadium against the Savannah Clovers FC.
Savannah Clovers FC 1 Club de Lyon FC 1
Another Saturday match in Georgia concluded with a thrilling 1-1 draw between the Savannah Clovers FC and Club de Lyon FC. The match was delayed two and a half hours due to inclement weather, but an even matchup between the two sides. Pedro Echeverria put CDL ahead 1-0 after 35 minutes in the first half. Despite defender Matias Pourrain leaving the match due to injury, CDL’s defense was able to limit the Clovers scoring chances throughout most of the match. However, once we got into stoppage time, CDL had a lead late and gave up an equalizer as NISA veteran Roddy Green pounced on the rebound chance and scored to tie the match at one. The match would end in a 1-1 draw, giving both clubs a crucial point. For the Clovers, that’s four points out of their last three matches, and they are now tied with their rivals Georgia FC in third in the Eastern Conference. The Clovers will return to Memorial Stadium on Saturday to host the Maryland Bobcats FC. As for Club de Lyon, I’m curious if these stoppage time blunders are starting to haunt this club after this happened last month in Michigan. Luckily, this resulted in a draw, but the one in Michigan was a loss. That’s five-points drop on the road for CDL despite rotating a young squad, dealing with injuries, and a new head coach. Club de Lyon would’ve been in third place right now with 10 points if they hadn’t dropped points just behind Maryland, but instead, they remain at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with 5 points. CDL also has yet to win a match at home this season. They’ll look to change that this Sunday as they take on the Michigan Stars FC at Showalter Field.
Irvine Zeta FC 2 Capo FC 2
The OC Clasico lived up to its name with a thriller at Championship Stadium on Sunday. We had a scoreless first half, but the second half was where we got all the scoring action in this one. In the 63rd minute, Capo FC gets a corner kick as the ball finds its way to Brandon Zambrano, and he puts Capo in front. However, two minutes later, George Almeida found the equalizer for Zeta FC, and were tied at one. This match would also go late into the second half with some drama as Greg Stratton heads this ball into the goal from the corner kick, and Zeta FC takes a 2-1 lead in the 89th minute. Capo FC has a free kick chance in stoppage time as they push for a late equalizer. Capo FC sets up Omar Sabbagh as he goes for the header, and it sneaked past Zeta FC goalkeeper Mitch North and were tied 2-2. That would be the final score between these two in their third meeting. Irvine Zeta FC still holds the overall series with 1 win, 2 draws, and 0 losses to Capo FC and remains on a two-match unbeaten streak. Zeta FC will head out to Willow Canyon Stadium on Sunday to face Arizona Monsoon FC. Capo FC will be off this week but will be back on the pitch on the road next Sunday, June 9, to take on Arizona Monsoon FC.
That concludes my NISA Matchweek 8 recap. Stay tuned for my NISA Matchweek 9 preview and a new podcast episode later this week.
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