Wall falls to Freehold Borough

Sometimes, it is just an extra couple of chances that make the difference.
That was exactly the case Monday afternoon, as the Crimson Knights boys soccer team fell, 2-0, on the road to the Freehold Borough Colonials.

The game was played fairly evenly, with the Colonials earning seven shots to the Knights’ five, but two of those extra shots by Freehold Borough would be the difference in the game.   With the loss, Wall fell to 2-3-1 on the season.

Head coach Garry Linstra knew his team would be challenged by Freehold Borough. The Colonials are former division rivals of the Knights and entered the game on Tuesday carrying a record of 3-0.

“It has always been a competitive rivalry, whether it is in division or out,” said Linstra, of Freehold Borough, following the defeat. “They are always a tough team no matter if they are a top team or struggling a little bit. They are always going to give us a game because it is Wall and Freehold.”

The game opened up with the Knights controlling the ball for the beginning of the first half, but once Wall entered the Colonials’ side of the field, the team hesitated to take its scoring chances.

Linstra felt that with a lot of his players competing at the varsity level for the first time, the Crimson Knights have been hesitant to just let it rip.

“We should have taken a lot more one-time shots instead of looking for the perfect shot,” said the coach.

The Colonials struck for the first goal of the game, as Ryan Bailey took an assist from Dan Marketta to give Freehold Borough a 1-0 with nine minutes remaining in the first half.  Wall nearly tied the game with just seconds remaining in the first half, but failed to convert a cross, forcing the team to enter the break down a goal.

With already having a five-goal game under their belts against St. Rose in the group’s home opener, Linstra knows the Crimson Knights have the ability to score. The team was just unable to do so on Tuesday.

“I think we can score and could probably score a lot more,” said Linstra. “We didn’t finish a lot of our chances like we should have.”

Linstra also credited the Colonials for playing a solid game on defense.

“They played a good defensive game today,” the coach continued. “We struggled to get good shots off.”

The second half found the Crimson Knights and the Colonials playing a very physical brand of soccer. After nearly 37 minutes of deadlock, Freehold Borough earned its second goal of the afternoon.

Already with an assist on the day, Marketta found his own way into the net with 3:11 left to play to give the Colonials a 2-0 lead. Marketta’s goal sealed the victory for Freehold Borough, which moved to a perfect 4-0 on the year.

Linstra was happy with his team’s effort in the game and knew his group fell to a more experience squad in the Colonials.

“Inexperience kind of hurts us [today],” said Linstra. “A lot of guys, this was their first time facing Freehold.”

For live updates on Wall Boy’s Soccer throughout the year, follow me on twitter @  http://twitter.com/#!/SamCostantino