Photo Courtesy of Annapolis Blues
May 19, 2024 – Following a 12-0 win over the Alexandria Rough Diamonds in the NPSL 2024 season opener, the Annapolis Blues FC continued its attacking prowess with a win 1-0 over the Alexandria Reds.
The Reds and Blues already have a strong history, having faced off twice in the 2023 NPSL season. The Reds won the first match 2-1, however the Blues would get revenge in the Mid Atlantic Conference Title match; a game that would see the Red’s reduced to nine men, several yellow cards given to both sides, and ultimately a penalty kick shootout win for the Blues.
Brady Geho had the first major chance for the Blues in the 21st minute. Geho received the ball in stride and was fouled just outside of the 18-yard box. Stepping up to take the free kick, Geho curled the ball towards the back post but was by a strong two hands from the Red’s goalkeeper. In what has been a historically fiery matchup, the Red’s wasted no time getting into the books. Jeffrey Aguilar received the first red card came in the 22nd minute following a poor challenge on Matty Helfrich.
Blue’s goalkeeper Owen Allegro came up with a couple crucial saves, the first of which coming in the 24th minute. A Red’s striker found himself in on goal as he drove towards the net. Allegro rushed off his line and made a one-on-one save from a tight angle to keep the game at bay. Just four minutes later, Allegro came up with an even bigger save. The ball was crossed in from the right-hand side of the pitch by the Red’s and found the feet of Kaya Ignacio in the center of the goal. Taking a first time shot from roughly twelve yards out, Allegro made a reflexive diving save to the bottom right corner. Neither side was able to find a breakthrough, yielding a 0-0 score at the half.
The second half started off slow, with only a few half chances in the opening minutes. Red’s forward Chris Barnard was shown a yellow card in the 61st minute for an accumulation of several various fouls throughout the match. One of the Blue’s best chances of the match came in the 65th minute. Evan Rabush beat one defender, stumbled but managed to keep his footing to then beat another defender before firing off a rocket to the bottom left corner, from just outside the box. Red’s goalkeeper Drew Hartman managed to get a touch, redirecting it off the post. The rebound found the foot of Matias De Jesus, whose first time shot went high and wide of the nearly open goal.
Leo Palomo managed to break the deadlock for the Blues in the 80th minute. After much attacking pressure, the Blue’s managed to receive a corner kick from the left-hand side of the pitch. The ball was whipped in by De Jesus and found the head of Palomo. Leaping above the Red’s defender, Palomo strongly headed the ball into the bottom left side of the net, leaving Hartman with no chance. The Blues are undefeated in league play, with thirteen goals scored and none conceded through two matches. On May 26th, the Blues will play one more road match, against FC Frederick, before returning to Annapolis for a June 1st home opener against DMV Elite, slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
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