The Sandspur

Issue date: 4/22/05 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Erica Tibbetts

Media Credit: Erica Tibbetts

It was a cold, yet sunny evening when the Tars took the field to play their final soccer match of the spring season last week. They'd been in action two days before, on Wednesday, against the semi-pro team from Cocoa, and hadn't done too well. They lost that match 5-1. On Friday they were looking to end the season on a high note.

But last week's opponent was no pushover. It was Ajax, a name that anyone who follows professional soccer would recognize. Ajax is a professional club team in Europe and would normally be way, way out of our league. But this team was a PDL (player development league) team, so it wasn't the big names, just the youth and amateur players who one day hope to be the big names.

The Tars have struggled with injury a little this spring season, and for the Wednesday game they fielded a slightly younger and less experienced team than usual, but Friday night they were up to full strength. Chris Cerroni started as the lone striker and made his presence felt almost immediately as he pounded the ball into the side netting after only a few minutes. The shot was wide, but it had the Ajax keeper worried.

Matt Gowan also had a few chances, while Juan Kusnir made some amazing runs down the left sideline. The play was almost all in the Ajax half and the Tars were dominating. Then the visiting team got a breakaway down their right flank. It looked like their player would have an open chance at goal. Kevin White came steaming in and brought the striker down. It looked like a tough foul, but the ref didn't award any cards, and the Ajax team wasted their free kick. The action continued in the Rollins' box and there was an appeal for a penalty, but again the ref deemed it to weak to warrant any intervention, and play continued. At the other end of the field there was another tough tackle, but again no call.

Eventually the ref awarded a penalty when Matt Gowan was brought down inside the Ajax box. Cerroni stepped up to take the kick. He fired it low and to the left, but the keeper guessed the correct way, and made the save.

The scored remained 0-0 throughout the first half.

In the second half the Tars again seemed to be dominating, with chances falling to Leslie Osei, one of the freshmen on the team, and Tres Loche, a central midfielder who made his mark in the conference last semester.

Cerroni blasted balls over the goal, to the side and at the keeper. He seemed to be getting a little frustrated, when, at long last, a goal came his way. Chris Chaffin, a sophomore, made an amazing run down the right side and put in a beautiful cross. Cerroni got on the end of it and beat the keeper, putting the ball into the back of the net.

There were chances for both teams in the final minutes, but the score remained 1-0 and the Tars ended the season with a win.

They won't play another game until August, but the team looks strong, and hopefully the Tars will have another great fall season.

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