Courtesy of Western Mass Pioneers

2007/05/29
LUDLOW, Mass., May 29, 2007 – Hi Pioneers fans!! Friday was a great night for soccer. Unfortunately, we were on the wrong end of the 2-1 scorecard at the conclusion of the match with Charlotte NC.

We certainly deserved a better result and we continue to have a positive outlook.

The match was very tight as evidenced by the final score and the following statistics: Shots were even at 13 apiece, Charlotte had 8 fouls and we had 9, corners kicks were 6 for Charlotte and 8 for our side.

We went into the match knowing we were going to make changes due to injuries or suspension. At match time, 6 players were carrying injuries and 1 was suspended. Ahmad Manning made his return to the line-up after his surgery and we targeted him to play 60 minutes. We knew he would need to be replaced during the match. Steve Arias has turf toe. We didn't know until after warm-ups if he would be able to play and for how long.

Jay Willis was still hampered by a groin injury and we needed to keep an eye on him. Fabien Lewis was bothered by a strained hip-flexor and groin. As you can see, our back 4 line up was a question mark. This would explain some of the gaps that were evident and the few times Charlotte forwards were able to get free. Added to this, we had to eventually replace Arias. Patricio Tagle was moved back and we brought in Bruno Resende for the midfield center back position because of an ankle injury.

We tried to play quick and keep the ball moving. At times we executed very well. We needed to support the player on the ball better than we did, and our forwards needed to combine better. We’ll have to do better in these areas to be successful in our next match.

There were a few times when we left Omar McFarlane by himself and he had to deal with 3 defenders. Omar played very well and showed why he is such a threat to opponents. He has very good speed and quick feet.

In the second half, we put Easton Wilson in at the right midfield. We wanted to get balls wide so Easton could get behind the defense. Easton was pretty successful in maintaining possession and playing others into the game.

We also talked about quicker transition into defense to get in front of the ball. In the first half there were times that the ball and some Charlotte players got behind our midfielders, which created some problems. Transition in the second half was much better and we had fewer breakdowns.

After giving up the own goal, we were forced to take more chances and had get forward with the ball. We wanted to be composed but still play with a little more urgency. The own goal had an effect on us but we needed to get focused and respond to the situation. We went to a 3-4-3 alignment, getting more numbers into the attacking zone.

However, we were not able to get the equalizer as we were a little
disjointed in our attack. Give Charlotte credit as they got more numbers on defense and looked for the counter attack.

Players who deserve praise for their play included Manning, Tagle and McFarlane. Manning defended well and got into the attack almost at will. Tagle was able to help us maintain possession and gave great support to the backs. His experience gets him out of a lot trouble. McFarlane created havoc in the attacking third and was a difficult to handle for the Charlotte defenders.

Saturday at 7:30 we play a tough Richmond squad at Lusitano Stadium. Richmond is currently in 1st place and undefeated. It will also be “MAPLE Night,” where recognize all Massachusetts Premier League teams playing at UMASS. See you there!!

Yours In Soccer,

Tom D’Agostino
Pioneers Head Coach

For season ticket information, please call 413-583-4814, faxing 413-547-6225 or email ops@wmpioneers.com.

For more information on this release, please call 583-4814 or email ops@wmpioneers.com.