Real Phoenix Defeats Stars of Mexico, 7-6
October 23, 2012 - Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL)
Real Phoenix News Release
Real Phoenix defeated Stars of Mexico 7-6, in the first ever game for the franchise at Barney Family Indoor Sports Complex on Saturday night.
Stars of Mexico led by Germán Villa applied early pressure from the opening whistle, easily controlling the pace of the game and forcing Real to focus on defense. Stars of Mexico were able to capitalize on the pressure, earning a set piece they were able to convert into a goal.
As the whistle blew ending the first quarter with a 1-0 lead for Mexico, it gave Real Phoenix a chance to organize themselves after being outplayed.
Real Phoenix Head Coach Kevin Grub explained his team's slow start, saying "considering we have so many rookies on this team, I knew going into this game we were going to have people freeze up because they haven't played at this tempo before."
After a quick talk during the break, Real Phoenix emerged as a different team, catching the Mexican team by surprise and taking advantage of a poor clearance that Erik Andersen converted into a goal within the first twelve seconds.
Head Coach Kevin Grub explained that he told his team he wanted them to calm down and play more as a unit. Real Phoenix then picked up another goal from Vlastimir Dadidovic off of a set piece. With Jesus Sepulveda scoring two goals and Davey Lopez scoring one, Real Phoenix had a commanding 6-1 lead going into halftime.
The second half didn't go Real Phoenix's way as Mexico started to chip away at the lead, scoring four goals. Real Phoenix was forced to play defensively for both quarters, relying on counter attacks. Real were then able to score a crucial seventh goal. This forced Mexico to pull their goalie which proved to be a smart move as they scored a sixth goal.
Stars of Mexico kept applying pressure around the Real Phoenix goal. Spectacular play from newly signed goalie Ryszard Gorski allowed for Real Phoenix to earn a thrilling 7-6 victory.
Kevin Grub was pleased with the overall performance and felt the game could be used as a learning lesson for the team, saying, "I'm actually glad the other team came back on us. I wanted these guys to experience indoor versus outdoor. We still have a lot of guys transferring their games and as far as the rookies go I'm pleased with the overall progress we're making."
Next game for Real Phoenix will be the season opener on November 3rd.
Professional Arena Soccer League Stories from October 23, 2012
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- Real Phoenix Defeats Stars of Mexico, 7-6 - Real Phoenix
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