Med City FC finds spark(s) in second half of 1-0 win
May 22—ROCHESTER — There was nothing easy about Med City's 1-0 win over LC (La Crosse, Wis.) Aris FC as the teams met in a National Premier League men's soccer game at Rochester Regional Stadium on Saturday night.
LC Aris looked like it was about to own a 1-0 lead midway through the first half when the Mayhem were whistled for a handball in the scoring box.
But Med City FC goalie Iker Gonzalez was up to the task, turning away the subsequent penalty kick and keeping it a 0-0 game.
Things got a bit dicey about midway through the second half, as a transformer on one of the stadium light poles popped and smoke began pouring from the box. The fire department was called to inspect the situation and after a 12-minute delay, the game was restarted, though with two stadium lights out.
The delay didn't hurt the Mayhem. About 7 minutes after the restart, they broke the deadlock. Lucas Hart found Scott Neil on a precise pass and Neil buried it into the back of the LC Aris net.
"Aris continues to improve season upon season," Med City FC General Manager Frank Spaeth said. "Teams used to go into games with them feeling confident of a relatively easy win. That's not the case anymore."
In terms of his own team's performance, Spaeth likes what he's seeing.
"We are faring well in many areas of the field," he said. "Defensively, we've only given up one goal so far through four games. In terms of possession, we've had the run of that in our games. We're just not as clinical inside the box yet as we're going to need to be moving forward. As we continue to work and grow together, I think that aspect of the game will come together. It's still early."
The Mayhem play at Joy SLP (St. Louis Park) on Wednesday. The Mayhem have won win and one tied so far in NPSL play.
