Shootout win for last seed Salty Printing

ANNA MARIA – Last week started the playoff games for another adult co-ed soccer season at The Center. The second game on the Thursday night schedule would prove to be a battle royale, giving the spectators their money’s worth, so to speak.

In a repeat match-up of the last week of the regular season, the top-ranked Beach Bums team, led by Yuri Pereira, took to the pitch with team Salty Printing. Kevin Roman’s Salty squad lost the previous meeting against Pereira’s team by two goals, ultimately putting them in eighth place going into the playoffs.

With technically an undefeated regular season, with a 6-0-1 record, Beach Bums was clearly the favorite to win the quarter-final game of the week.

Coming in as the underdog, Salty Printing could not field a full squad all season, mostly due to season-ending injuries that plagued a number of the team’s players.

This roster issue continued into the first round of playoffs. With five on the field and a goalie, playing one down, Salty Printing fortunately had a substitute player on the sideline – fresh legs that would become critical in the game.

Despite the underdog status and playing with one less player than Beach Bums, Salty Printing played tough and played physical, matching the physicality and energy of their adversary of the week.

Going into halftime, it looked like Beach Bums would be moving forward to the semifinal round of games, but another half of play would prove otherwise.

The Beach Bums squad had a sub on the bench to move in and out of the game as needed, but their lack of use of the additional player in the first half proved to be an error in the final 20 minutes of play.

With the heat of the evening and tired legs getting the best of them, the Beach Bums defense struggled to keep the Salty Printing shooters away from goalkeeper Tuna McCracken.

Despite his best efforts, McCracken finished with five saves in regulation time, letting three get past him.

Taking an onslaught of strikes from the Beach Bums offense, goalie Matt Marshall stopped 10 shots. Marshall was also scored on three times, resulting in a tied game after regulation play.

As the seconds ticked off the scoreboard clock, the bodychecks increased and the action became more heated. With a calamitous step by Pereira onto the leg of Murat Akay, tempers flared and Akay was out for the rest of the game with an ankle injury.

Salty’s scoring was completed by Roman with one point, and Gerardo Urbiola, who was able to get two of his shots past McCracken.

In critical support on the field, Robbie Fellowes, Nate Talucci, Ed Moss and Akay fought for position and the ball for the Salty team.

Lucky Durmaz had all three Beach Bums goals, with an assist by Emily Fischer. Playing both sides of midfield, Tyler Brewer, Blair Schlossberg and Jamie Hutchinson helped take the Beach Bums team to a shootout.

After the spirited play on the field, the energy was high going into the penalty kicks from both teams.

Putting their five best shooters on the official list, the names and order of those selected to fire the soccer ball strategically toward the goal could determine which team secured a spot in the semifinals.

With McCracken on the line, Roman was slated as the first shooter. His shot sailed past the goalie to start the shootout.

Alternating shooting team order, Fischer, Fellowes, and Hutchinson all made their shots for their teams.

A string of four shooters surprisingly missed. Talucci, Durmaz, Gerardo and Brewer, all excellent shooters, could not help their team capture the W.

Finally, Salty Printing keeper Marshall took to the shooter’s position.

Knowing that making the shot could propel his team toward the championship game, Marshall remained calm and shot the soccer ball past McCracken for the team’s third point in overtime play.

Team captain Pereira was the fifth and final shooter for Beach Bums. Making the shot meant another round of shooting; missing the shot meant it was all over for Pereira’s top-seed team.

Feeling all the pressure, Pereira could not put a point in the stats book. The unexpected victorious Salty Printing team worked hard to survive and live to play another week at The Center.