First Team
Back in the second division, the Kickers first team looked to set the tone for the Fall season, with ambitious goals after a disappointing end of the first division Spring season. That plan got off to a rocky start, as the Kickers went down 2-0 to NY Ukraine, who caught the Kickers defense off guard on a cross for the first goal, and a tough handball call in the box awarded them a penalty kick.
The Kickers changed things around a bit, perhaps used to defending for much of last season, and aggressively pushed forward on the attack, winning loose balls in the opponent's half, and putting each other in better positions to score. It paid off. The Kickers scored 5 unanswered goals, 3 by Brian Morris alone. Things got a bit hectic toward the end of the game but the Kickers defense did all it needed to keep the team out of any real danger. Final score: 5-2 win.
Second Team
The Kickers second team lost 2-0 in unfortunate circumstances. They hit the bar three times, moved the ball well and kept NY Ukraine mostly pinned with their backs to goal for the entire second half. Unfortunately, the soccer gods were cruel on this day to the reserves.
Over-30 Premier
The Over-30 Premier lost to their rivals 3-1. The score was not indicative our how the game went. Both teams were sloppy with ball, but it was the Shamrocks that took advantage of a Kicker turnover in the 10th minute to hit the perfect strike to the back post from 10 yards out to take the lead 1-nil. The Kickers would respond on a great finish by Nick Bill in the 25th minute. Both teams had opportunities but nothing to show for it at halftime.
The second half was much of the same. Injuries to Khouri and Seamus meant the Kickers were playing a man down for nearly 25 minutes of the second half. In the 70th minute, the Rocks would earn a corner and would find a man unmarked on the back post to flick the header home and take the 2-1 lead. The Kickers would get the opportunity just five minutes later to even the match when the referee called for the hand ball in the box, but Adrian's PK was saved by the Shamrock keeper and with it the momentum went out of the Kicker sails. In the 80th minute, the Rocks would get one more when the free kick would catch the Kicker defense napping and the subsequent pinball would get knocked around the box before finding the back of the net.
Over-30 Legends
The Kickers Over-30 Legends gave up a freaky goal in first 10 minutes, then dominated and pressed for the rest of the game but struggled to connect in wet, slippery conditions. Eventually, they lost 0-1 to CPR Legends.