By Rob Potter
GLEN SPEY — September 10, 2010 — The 2010 soccer season started on a positive note for The Family School Falcons.
The Family School defeated the host Eldred Yellowjackets, 3-2, on Tuesday afternoon in a non-league game at Brookwood Camp near Glen Spey.
Evan Green scored the winning goal for the Falcons with about 2:45 remaining in the match.
Green gained control of the ball about 10 yards in front of the Yellowjackets’ goal and sent a hard shot at the net. Eldred goalkeeper Travis Steimle seemed to get his hand on the ball for a split second, but the ball sailed into the back of the net.
Eldred (0-1) had a corner kick with 36 seconds left, but was unable to turn it into a goal.
When the game was still tied at 2-2, the Yellowjackets took a brief 3-2 lead when Matt Bisland converted a penalty kick with 9:30 remaining. But the officials quickly waved off the goal because an Eldred player stepped into the goal box on the play. Bisland then took a second penalty kick, but Falcon goalie Lee Droste made the save to keep the score knotted at 2-2.
“Having that goal on the PK nullified was rough,” Eldred Coach J.J. Gass said. “We were pumped up and thought we had taken the lead. But when it was waved off, we were deflated.”
Twice in the match the Yellowjackets took a one-goal lead only to see The Family School come back to tie the score.
Eldred grabbed a 1-0 lead with 25:40 left in the first half on a corner kick. Brian Hazen took the corner, sending the ball into the goal box. Bisland then kicked the ball over to Adrian Krzysztofowicz, who headed the ball into the net.
But the Falcons’ Owen Daugherty tied the game at 1-1 when he scored a goal from about 10 yards out with 16:32 remaining until halftime.
Less than two minutes into the second half, Patrick Reiser gave the Yellowjackets a 2-1 advantage by scoring a goal on an assist by Bisland.
With 13:47 displayed on the scoreboard clock, Green evened the score at 2-2. He took control of the ball near the top of the goal box and kicked a low, hard shot into the far corner of the net.
“It was a very good game,” Family School Coach James Williamson said. “We fell behind twice, but our guys kept working hard and they kept coming back.”
Williamson noted that every player on the Falcons’ team this autumn is new to the program.
“I have a brand new team this season,” he said. “None of them has played soccer before. They are all lacrosse and football players. They are great athletes and we are turning them into soccer players.”
Family School (1-0) had 18 shots on goal and four corner kicks. Droste finished the match with three saves.
Eldred recorded 15 shots on goal and four corner kicks. Steimle made eight saves.
“We had a breakaway opportunity early in the second half where we could have gone up 3-1,” Gass said. “But we didn’t score the goal and that was a let down.”
Despite the tough loss, Gass was pleased with the effort by his players.
“Last year, the final score might have been 5-0 or 8-0,” he said. “Losing 3-2 wasn’t as bad and we played a great match. Of course, it would have been better if those numbers were reversed. Our players will learn from this game and get better. I know they will.”