Looking to push for playoffs in its inaugural USL League Two season, Annapolis was dealt yet another setback, recording a 3-0 loss on the road to Lionsbridge FC.
Per usual, Annapolis conceded first. Holding off its opponent until the 21st minute, the Blues found themselves in a less-than-ideal scenario, one in which points on the road are a near necessity. Denis Krioutchenkov received the ball with his back to goal and played a first-time pass in the middle of the pitch to Luc Achermann-Stanfield. The midfielder took one touch before driving in a firm ground pass to the feet of Krioutchenkov who received the pass on the edge of the 18-yard box, in between the two Annapolis center backs. Managing to create a couple inches of space, he took his chance and released a shot that beat Emigdio Tormo Lopez at full stretch as it bounced into the bottom right corner.
Tormo Lopez came up with a strong save in the 39th minute, keeping the game within arm’s length for the Blues. Krioutchenkov fired a low, driven shot from the edge of box to the left corner that was met by a strong right hand of Tormo Lopez who pushed the ball out for a corner.
Coming out of the second half, things started to heat up as both sides exchanged several fouls in the opening nine minutes of the half. In hopes of sparking some fire, Head Coach Colin Herriot looked to his bench for inspiration. The 57th minute saw the first yellow card of the game awarded to Lincoln Ulrich after a foul in the middle of the pitch to slow down an Annapolis attack.
Just two minutes later, Ricardo Louis found himself in behind the Blues’ defensive line following a chipped through ball down the left wing from Achermann-Stanfield. Louis drove towards the near post and was pulled down by Ian Webb-Johnson. Samuel Hall stepped up and confidently hammered home the spot kick into the right side-netting, leaving Tormo Lopez with no chance. Hall has now scored six goals this season and leads the Lionsbridge record books with 28 career goals.
Matias De Jesus was awarded a yellow card in the 68th minute after he found himself turned and by Louis on the left wing, having no other option to slow the attack than commit the foul.
Never able to get into the game from an attacking point of view, the Blues’ fate was confirmed in stoppage time. Off the back of a 50/50 challenge on the edge of the box, Achermann-Stanfield took the first-time finish in stride, catching Tormo Lopez off guard with a bouncing finish that found the bottom left corner of the goal. Thursday’s 3-0 loss is the first road loss this season for the Annapolis. Sitting fourth in the division with 18 points, the Blues will need an immensely strong finish to the season to keep any playoff hopes alive.
