Walhalla 4 - Palmetto 3
Tuesday, 3/11 at Palmetto on a dry field in windy & cool weather.
Shots on Goal: Walhalla 24 - Palmetto 26
Corner Kicks: Walhalla 7 - Palmetto 2
Yellow Cards: Walhalla #6 for tripping from behind; Palmetto #1 for elbow.
Goals: Walhalla - (2) #5, (1) #19, (1) #13; Palmetto - (2) #1 Ignacio, (1) #8 Mahaffey
TALE OF TWO HALVES - - - Palmetto came out as the aggressor and took control of the first half of play. They remainded on the attack the entire first half with 15 shots on goal, and the play kept almost entirely on Walhalla's half of the field. Play was fast-paced and well-played between two very good teams. Walhalla seemed to be on their heels and not expecting the quality of play that the Mustangs brought. After a quick goal by Walhalla in the first two minutes of the game on a defensive lapse, Palmetto rallied to score three times unopposed to make the half time score 3-1 in favor of Palmetto.
The second half was an interesting turn. Half time adjustments by Walhalla paid dividends. The Razorbacks came out the aggressor and took control. Palmetto seemed content to try to hang on, and for the first ten minutes, did so with a very good defensive strategy. As time wore on in the second half, the Mustangs seemed to wear out. There were too many times that Palmetto players took themselves out of plays with cramps, went down with injuries, or just were not in shape to keep up. Walhalla's superior conditioning and depth took over as well as an excellent game plan. Walhalla scored with 28:00 minutes remaining to pull to 3-2. Like sharks who smell blood, they could sense that Palmetto was struggling. But to the Mustangs credit, with several players hurt, they held on for another 15 minutes. With 11:00 remaining, The Razorbacks kicked across the tying goal. Then with 4:00 remaining, the winning goal. Despite a frantic effort by Palmetto the last four minutes, they could only get three more shots on goal - one that rolled just inches outside of the net. A final breakaway by Walhalla was disallowed as time expired. Final - Walhalla 4 - Palmetto 3.
This was a well played soccer match by two quality teams. I was impressed by the increased skill level and talent on both squads. They will meet again in Region play at Walhalla on April 21 - probably for the top spot of Region 1-AA on the line. Both teams should go at least into the third round of playoffs, and we may see another matchup at that time. Good luck to both teams.
Great teams - Great coaches - and it was nice to see a Great Soccer Match on the AA High School level!
