MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- They might not play in a multimillion dollar facility in South Africa, and they might not have thousands of screaming fans, but with the FIFA World Cup over, Iwakuni intramural soccer is now the hottest thing since sliced bread.
MWSS-171 went into the game with the will to win but was obliterated by Nafi 6-2 during an intramural soccer game held at Penny Lake here July 26.
At the start, neither team was able to dominate the field, and the ball was constantly being turned over due to bad passes, but within minutes of the first half, Nafi picked up their play, putting constant pressure on MWSS-171’s quickly-tiring defense.
It was a hard-fought battle for MWSS-171 to keep possession of the ball and a good position on the play with Nafi’s mad passing skills.
“We talked about finding the open spaces (before the game), said Matthew McMahon, forward for MWSS-171. “They’re very good at doing it.”
McMahon said his team needs to work on getting into good positions to field the ball instead of just waiting for it.
That’s what put Nafi ahead of MWSS-171, their ability to play the open spaces.
As with the first, the second half of the game kept spectators on the edge of their seats.
It was a neck-in-neck battle with shot after shot, block after block, save after save and numerous missed opportunities. Neither team was able to gain any type of momentum to put them ahead.
“The first half we kind of just feel it out,” said McMahon. “The way we started the second half, we were playing very well. We went out and got that first goal in the second half, and I don’t know if everyone got tired (in the first half) or just started falling apart, but I think we were playing pretty strong at the end of the second half.”
While they came into the half strong, it wasn’t long before MWSS- 171 started to lose their stride.
“We missed such easy shots and could have played a little harder on defense, but overall, I’m not mad about the game,” said David Suy, defensive player for MWSS-171. “We did a really good job and stuck with it all the way to the end. We never stopped fighting.”
Despite their ongoing efforts, MWSS-171 was unable to catch up to Nafi in the end, and Nafi took the much-deserved 6-2 win.
Suy said MWSS-171’s aggressiveness is both a strength and weakness, and they’ll be working on the fundamentals and communication for the next game.