Torch FC Men and Women Stay Undefeated in their Home Opening Doubleheader
Women’s Match vs Philly Fever
The women came out last night against Philly Fever and were able to get a result in their first game of the season. The game ended in a 1-1 draw and was a full 90 minute battle not only against the Fever, but against the heat of day. The Fever opened up the scoreboard with a first half breakaway goal. The Torch were able to answer shortly after with a goal from Bellarmine forward Zenia Nava assisted by Gabby Zalot. Nava on the goal, “I felt really good about the goal. It was a great team build up and I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Scoring the goal was the easy part, but how the team worked together to get the ball into the area is what made the difference”. Unfortunately, even with the Torch largely dominating the second half, in possession and chances, they were unable to get a game winning goal causing the game to end in a 1-1 draw. Nava on the game, “I believe the first game was a good eye opener as to what we need to work on as a team…As long as we keep working hard and putting in the hours we should be able to achieve our goals!”.
From Head Coach Jason Lollar, “You never know what to expect in your first game, especially with a group who have known each other for 6 days, have only trained together a handful of times, and more than a few who, because of the pandemic haven’t been able to play any sort of competitive soccer for quite some time. I thought we came out and played really well despite all of those challenges. I was really pleased in our build up play and thought we dictated the tempo of the game for the majority of the game. Philly Fever came out and pressed to start the 2nd half which caught us a bit off guard, I think, but after that, we settled down and finished the game well. I think we can do a bit better creating more dangerous goal scoring chances and that’ll be a focus this week in training, but overall, I was really encouraged by last night’s performance and thought there were a lot of positives to take away moving forward. Disappointed not to get the 3 points, obviously, but thought the girls gave all they had which is all you can ask for, at the end of the day”
Make sure to support the Torch FC ladies at Penn Fusion at 7:00 pm on Thursday, May 27th.
Men’s Match vs Electric City Shock
The men had a successful night last night after a somewhat back and forth match against the Shock. Both teams were able to create great scoring opportunities, but the Torch were able to control much of the game and pull out with the 2-1 victory over Electric City Shock. The Torch opened up the scoring in the 2oth minute with a penalty kick goal scored by Noah Blodget. Blodget on the goal, “Honestly, I feel very blessed too score the opening goal of the season. Aidan Link did an excellent job drawing a penalty after what had been a dominant first 20 minutes for our boys, so I wanted to ensure that our hard work paid off by taking care of business. I noticed the keeper was a little hesitant to dive to his left during warmups, so I tried to use that to my advantage. He dove the right way, but thankfully I put it just out of reach. From that point, I felt like we took a collective step forward and managed the game well despite a few chances from Electric City”. That they did, as the Torch were able to put another one in the back of the net just 20 minutes later. The goal was an excellent shot from the top of the box and was scored by Aidan Link and assisted by John Eric in the 41st minute. Link on the goal, “The goal was fantastic! It was a great team goal starting rom the back, Filip made a great run, John Eric and Ethan combined to make it a straight forward finish for myself. It was really exciting and hopefully is only the start of more to come”. A short three minutes later a communication error in the back line led to an Electric City goal. That goal would be the last of the game as the second half was a completely scoreless battle. Both the Torch and the Shock had their chances to score, but the Torch backline held strong and were able to keep an Electric City offense out of the back of the net. This caused the game to finish in a great first 2-1 win for the Torch.
Midfielder Noah Blodget on the game and upcoming season, “There is no greater feeling than starting the season with three points. It gives you something to build on and take into the next match week. As the season goes though, the competition only gets stronger. It can be easy to get caught up in one good result, and the Keystone Conference is one of the more competitive divisions in the NPSL. We have to make sure we stay focused on the match in front of us. However, I have every faith in the boys to deliver consistency. Having played against and now with the Torch, I know that Coach Sparling is a great motivator and will keep us accountable to the task at hand. The squad we have this season is as ambitious and inventive as we are pragmatic. As long as our work rate matches our faith, we are on track for a strong season with a playoff push well within our sights”.
Make sure to support the Torch FC men at Monmouth at 6:00 pm on Saturday, May 29th.
