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Annapolis, M.D. (07/01/2023) – On a humid Saturday in Naptown the Blues hosted 8,177 spectators, breaking the eight thousand plus threshold for the second time in club history and second time in NPSL history. The Blues now hold four of the top five highest attended regular season NPSL games.
The Annapolis Blues dominated Northern Virginia United in its second meeting of the season between the two teams. Compared to the prior 4-3 road win by Annapolis there were less goals to account for, however the Blues still took home all three points. Both sides recorded shots on goal in the opening minutes of the match, however neither side were able to create any major chances. The largest threat for Virginia United was through long throw ins; however Blues’ goalkeeper Griffin Hemmindinger was prepared, consistently off his line, collecting aerial balls through traffic and making his presence known.
In the 17th minute, Matias De Jesus was brought down after beating his defender, 25 yards out from goal, resulting in a Blues’ freekick. Stepping up to the ball, De Jesus curved his shot around the wall, forcing a save from Teddy Hutman at full stretch. Only three minutes later the Blues would take the lead through Jacob Murrell. The ball was crossed in from the right wing by Justin Harris, finding the feet of Toshi Davis who backheeled his first-time pass to De Jesus. After his shot was blocked by a Northern Virginia defender, De Jesus followed up, finding the feet of Murrell. From the left, Murrell turned his defender on the outside and hammered home his first-time finish into the top corner of the near post, leaving Hutman with no chance.
In a rainy second half, Northern Virginia would find the first significant chance of the match in the 55th minute. De Jesus was stripped of possession by Carter Berg from 25 yards out. Sprinting into the box, Berg forced a diving save to Hemmindinger’s left. The resulting rebound fell into the path of the oncoming Northern Virginia striker, who forced Hemmindinger to make a double save, preserving the shutout. “It’s nice to get a clean sheet and the three points as well, but it was nowhere near the standards we are used to,” said head coach Colin Herriot. “We have a really good coaching staff here. The work that they put out is a testament to how the players have performed.”
Murrell found another goalscoring opportunity in the 61st minute. Receiving a pass from the left-side of the pitch, he was able to bring down the ball off the back of an initial loose touch, striking the half volley and forcing a save out of Hutman to the low bottom right corner. Second half substitute Eric Gwadz was fouled in the 73rd minute as he cut inside from the left side of the field and was sandwiched between two Northern Virginia defenders, however the resulting free kick did not lead to any notable opportunities.
The remainder of the second half did not see any major goal scoring opportunities, only a few half chances that were put to bed via standout defensive performances by Miles Lam, Elton De Oliveira Santos, Luke Dunne, and Jackson Ruckman. “They came out a bit different today, more of a diamond formation so we had to try and combat that,” said Ruckman. “It wasn’t our best performance, we were taking too much pressure, but we were just happy to get a win out of it.”
The Blues have just over a week off during the 4th of July holiday, and, when asked if he prefers hotdogs or hamburgers at the cookout, the Scottish Herriot replied “I’ll have a bit of both” in true American fashion. The next game for Annapolis will take place on Sunday, July 9th against the Alexandria Reds, scheduled for a 5pm kickoff at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. This will be the final regular season game for the Blues, who will anticipate post-season play in the upcoming weeks.
