We hopped off the bus to Taft with really good energy and controlled the midfield play very nicely through the first half. Taft was skilled and fast on the wings and wingbacks, so we had a hard time penetrating their 18yd box to get a good look on goal. Our wingbacks, Kiefer Ebling, Gunter Weldon, and James Kurto did an outstanding job managing Taft’s attacks. And keeper Gianluca Simonelli held his ground and came off his line with secure the ball, once making a big left foot save on a sure goal. The halftime score was 0-0. The second half was more of the same until Taft scored on a high quality, left footed, near post shot. Gianluca got finger tips on it, but the wet ball slipped by. It was simply a well struck ball and we had to give Taft credit. We kept rolling attackers looking for combinations that might scrap our way into an equalizer, but alas, we couldn’t convert. Despite another goal-less game, we felt very proud of the effort, the positive attitudes, the support on the field and from the bench. The Taft coach actually took a moment to complement our squad for playing a clean and high-spirited game and told our guys to keep their chins up. With yet another step forward from Justin Scalzo and relentless effort from key starters Jack Borg, Finn Knight, Oscar Sanford, and Michael Hioe, we are proving very strong in the middle and tough to score on. We are setting our sights on scoring goals in upcoming games vs Kent and Berkshire!