An 88th minute penalty by Alejandro Sanchez Ros provided what proved to be the only decisive moment in an highly-competitive match on Wednesday night in Canton, OH as the undefeated Erie Commodores endured the organization and pressure from Ambassadors FC Ohio to prevail 1-0 and remain unscathed in the Great Lakes Conference.
Masaki Tsuji isolated an AFC Ohio back and drove with the ball toward the near post and byline to earn the penalty shout which resulted in a dramatic celebration as Erie realized they not only would be victorious on the evening, but escaped the organization, onslaught, and pressure from the hosts.
“To say that we are gutted by that result would be a massive understatement,” said Ambassadors Head Coach & Technical Director Ryan Dean immediately following the match. “The boys absolutely deserved at least a point from the match, executed every aspect of the play at the highest level, responded and reacted in the critical moments, but just did not finish the opportunities they created. Bottom line it is a loss but the process we put forth includes these disappointments as a byproduct of always doing the right things.”
While Ambassadors seemed content at times in both halves to allow Erie to have the majority of the possession, the Commodores had to work extremely hard to create the chances they did only to be repeatedly turned away by a staunch AFC backline and by goalkeeper Samori McKell-Jeffers (Muncie, IN/New Jersey Institute of Tech.). The majority of the saves and moments the McKell-Jeffers stifled came from slotted balls from the endline and by reading through balls early and snuffing out those chances before they evolved into a finishing opportunity.
Tsuji proved to be constantly dangerous from early doors in the match from the left flank. Yet Jordan Akins of AFC Ohio (Akron, OH/Univ. of Mount Union) proved to be more than up to the task of containing and frustrating the dangerous winger time and time again.
The break at the half provided a light switch for both sides to come out and open up the game a bit more. AFC Ohio adjusted to squeeze Erie centrally a bit more and the Commodores responded by being a bit more patient in their build up while trying to exploit space on the flanks.
The two most obvious and clear chances of the 2nd half came on an uncontested corner that AFC Ohio forward and defending Great Lakes Conference MVP Amir Spratt (Kent, OH/Univ. of Mount Union) met with his head only to direct it into the waiting torso of Erie keeper Aimar Aramendia Zabalza. Then, in the 68th minute, Ambassadors flank player Alex Depperschmidt (Mansfield, OH/Univ. of Mount Union) put a perfectly slotted ball from the byline just over the crossbar in what could have been a turning point of the match.
“Depp was arguably the most effective and dangerous player on the pitch on the night,” said Dean. “How many times does a top tier player play three completely different roles in a 90 min. match and execute all of those with an impact and effectiveness that is beyond everyone else in those roles. Totally unlucky for him and for us. Depp is simply class and his work rate is off the charts.”
The majority of the Commodores quality chances came in the first half when twice AFC Ohio had to clear balls off their line to keep the match even on the night. McKell-Jeffers was always in the right place and the right time while under pressure. Sanchez Ros and Julian Tovar Jaime were the creative geniuses in the final third but consistently came up empty due to solid organization and the active tenacity of the collective defending from the home side on the night.
Diego Pinto of AFC Ohio controls a pass with his back to the goal while under pressure from Erie’s Santiago Bustamante late in the first half in Canton, OH on Wednesday night
“The penalty shout and the result are simply moments.” said Dean. “What we do day-in and day-out is so much more than just moments. We are fully bought into the process across the board and are looking forward to making a bigger impact as we wrap up the regular season and move into the playoffs.”
Ambassadors will stay at home this weekend as they host conference foe Niagara 1812 on Saturday, June 27 at 7:00 p.m. at Dr. David & Winnie King Field on the campus of Malone University in Canton, Ohio.
