Pirates sunk, 10-2

Last night's game was (I hope) forgettable. We were already short-handed, with Ian S., Anthony C., Ben K., and Kory A. all unable to attend the game, and Brad H. serving the first of a two-game suspension for accumulated yellow cards. We were just barely able to field a minimum team at official kick-off time, but a few more players arrived as the referee was conducting the coin toss, so we started with 10 men available as the whistle blew. Cory R. arrived a few minutes after the game started, and I got him on at the first stoppage.

The first ten minutes went fairly well, as neither team was able to get into striking distance, with a lot of scrappy play near the centre of the field. After that, the advantage shifted steadily to Whitby Blue, who opened the scoring on 12 minutes with a short-range shot just inside the right post. Nick M. got a hand on it, but couldn't push it far enough to take it out of danger.

At the end of the first half, the Pirates faced a 4-0 score line. Nick moved out to centre-mid and captain Zaahir M. took his place in goal. The second half continued as the first half ended, with the Pirates unable to clear their lines and Whitby Blue pushing well up the field. At one point, the Whitby Blue defenders were only a few steps outside the Pirates 18-yard box!

Matt K. helped to rally the Pirates, getting on the end of a pass from call-up player Tyler R. and slamming it home. The score was 6-1, but the Pirates really did seem to wake up at that point, pushing up the field and making Whitby Blue defend frantically. The flurry ended with Kevin J. scoring to bring the Pirates briefly back within range, but after that it was all Whitby Blue.

Next week's game is a make-up for a rained-out game back in July, and after that it'll be the playoffs.