Lightning falls 4-1 in Ozarks Challenge
Posted on Monday, July 14, 2008
BELLA VISTA - The debut for the Northwest Arkansas Lightning's Under 23 team in the Ozarks Challenge Cup ended in a 4-1 loss to Springfield (Mo. ) Soccer Club on Sunday at Sugar Creek Soccer Park.
The Lightning trailed 2-1 at halftime and gave up two more goals in the second half.
Coach Jakob Nilsson said the score was a bit misleading than the actual game itself.
Nilsson said the Lightning came out in the second half in a 3-4-3 formation to try and tie the game at 2 and got several chances to do that in the second half.
"Majority of the second half we were playing against their goal trying to equalize," Nilsson said. "We played well. We had one learning curve on a couple of positions where we were unorganized."
Nilsson said his team began to wear down late in the game which resulted in two more goals for Springfield Soccer Club.
"It was a wide open game," Nilsson said. "We had several chance to equalize but we didn't."
Several Lightning players did well, including former Rogers Mounties Donny Martinez and Juan Orrala. Orrala scored the Lightning's only goal in the first half on a free kick.
"The kick had a beautiful curve," Nilsson said. "He bent the ball like (David ) Beckham on the front post. He's been doing them in practice so we knew he could do it."
John Brown University's Andrew Bradford looked good in center midfield as did Springdale's Gerardo Carcamo and Bentonville's Michael Aguilar, Nilsson said.
Spencer Watson and Pedro Vargas both played in the goal for the Lightning.
The Ozarks Challenge Cup will continue on July 23 in Springfield at Cooper Soccer Stadium on the Missouri State Campus.
The Lightning has to win by four goals to win the Ozarks Challenge Cup.
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