Edward P. Dittmer (Hershey, PA)
In response to my only piece of hate mail this season, I wrote that I would like nothing more than to write positive stories about the Wildcats. All it would take was 90 minutes of good football. Against the Rhythm, Hershey played well, got two goals from Greg Simmonds and ran their unbeaten streak to 5 games.
Starting with Cesi Colasante and Greg Simmonds up front, Hershey moved the ball well but seemed unable to make the one pass that would put their attackers through on the keeper. Nevertheless, it was an encouraging sign that the midfield was controlling the ball well and keeping Tennessee out of the game. Tennessee's apparent disorganization in the back also left open the possibility that Hershey could at some point exploit this weakness for some points.
Ze Roberto and Cesi Colasante would test the Rhythm keeper in the 15th minute but Covey was able to parry away their efforts. Pasi Kinturi responded with some nice dribbling in the Hershey end but twice was not able to put the ball on goal.
Hershey relentlessly attacked the visitor's goal throughout the first half with forward runs from defenders Chris Penny and Chris Marinos. Penny, however, showed a bit of rust as he took the ball to the edge of the box in the 24th and, ignoring a clear shot at the goal, passed into the middle where Colasante was unable to catch up with the ball.
Starting in about the 30th minute, Tennessee gave up on playing back and counterattacking. They became more aggressive through midfielder Chris Brady and produced a few more chances. Hershey however maintained possession through the better part of the half.
The Cats would bring Jamel Mitchell onto the pitch in the 35th minute to provide the offensive spark that was needed to close the deal and produce some goals. But it would be Greg Simmonds moving onto a Tim Leonard pass in the 44th to hammer home his seventh goal of the year, tying him with Mitchell for the team lead in goals. The Cats would then hold on and take a 1-0 lead into the locker room.
The officials ruled a Steve Klein goal offside in the 49th as Klein back-heeled a Simmonds pass into the net. Those with the benefit of instant replay can judge for themselves.
In the 53rd minute, Tennessee would equalize thanks to work by Taylor and Dooley. After a hard Kyle Swords tackle resulted in a free kick at the edge of the box, Brady took the free kick short to Taylor who worked the ball on to Dooley. Dooley blasted the ball, which struck the inside of the post and went in for the Tennessee equalizer.
Following the Tennessee goal, Hershey turned on the steam in the 63rd minute. Steve Klein and Greg Simmonds combined on a good effort but Simmonds sent the ball just wide across the goal mouth. Chris Marinos passed into the box for another potential score in the 70th, but the officials ruled that the ball had crossed the line for a goal kick.
Poor passing by the defense gave Greg Simmonds a one-on-one with Covey in the 70th but failed to shoot until the Rhythm keeper had moved into position to save the shot.
Mitchell also showed why defenses hate playing against him in the 72nd minute. After a clearance, he took the ball up the near side, motored past the entire Tennessee team all the way to the penalty area, and cut into the center of the field only to put the ball just wide of the goal. Mitchell really deserved a goal for his efforts.
Simmonds and Ze Roberto had golden opportunities in the 74th to put the game away. Simmonds got behind the defense after a sloppy clearance by Tennessee but was unable to control the ball and Covey gathered it in. Shortly afterwards, Ze Roberto headed a free kick from Penny down and hard but the ball bounced just wide of the goal.
Simmonds finally put Hershey back into the lead as the Tennessee defense failed to move the ball forward and Ze Roberto sent the ball right over a Tennessee defenders foot right into the path of Simmonds who put it away for a 2-1 lead.
One more pleasant surprise this evening was the emergence of new acquisition Mike Butler. Butler, who recently came from Pittsburgh, shows excellent speed, footwork, and passing. Coming on in the 79th for Chris Penny kept the pressure on the Tennessee defense.
In the 86th, Hershey missed another chance to score. Taylor took down Matthew Ford in the box and was sent off for the professional foul. While the red card seemed a bit harsh, the penalty was clear. Unfortunately, Mike Feniger poorly took Hershey's first penalty of the year and the Tennessee goalkeeper was not fooled diving left to save.
However, the referee had done the damage by leaving Tennessee to fight back with only 10 men.
Hershey would maintain their aggressiveness with a plethora of chances going into the final minutes, including another goal which was ruled offside in stoppage time.
The good news was that Hershey has brought its record back to .500 with some excellent play. The offense seems to be controlling well and creating chances. The bad news is that Hershey had many more chances than they should have due to a sloppy Tennessee defense. Finishing is something that Bob Lilley will have to work on with his team. But at last, Hershey has shown that it does have what it takes to win. With 8 goals, Simmonds is now the team leader in goals and overall scoring. Thanks to the addition of Mike Butler and the emergence of local product Chris Marinos, the team may have some surprises for the second half of the season.
Attendance was 1,560.
