Trouble on the Road: Appalachian FC Falls to Bristol Rhythm 2-1
Don’t look now but the NPSL Southeast Conference table looks a little different after Saturday. The one and two are still Hickory FC and Appalachian FC on 15 and nine points respectively. One team climbing the table is Bristol Rhythm AFC who sit in fifth on six points after their 2-1 win over Appalachian FC. Bristol Rhythm ended their two game skid while Appalachian FC dropped their second straight game.
Getting into the lineup, there was one change from the last match. With Luke Frost picking up a red card last time out, Nate Hovan got the nod. Starting at the back, Parker was the man between the pipes and the men in front of him were Applewhite, Taylor, Becerra, and Dos Santos Haesler. The midfield was made up of Oughterson, Garcia, and Hovan. The men in attack were Diakos, Doyle, and Stone.
No complaints from me on the lineup. Losing Frost is a tough pill to swallow but in soccer, just as in life, you have to adapt. Having players that are ready and able to step up is a huge benefit to a team during a long season. I liked Hovan getting the start and hope to see more of him in the future.
Getting into the match, Bristol got the scoring started early, going 1-0 up in the 16th minute. This score would hold until the half as the other notable event from the first half being a yellow card picked up by Matty Doyle in the 27th minute. Coming out of the break, two yellow cards were handed out within five minutes of each other. The first being awarded to Dos Santos Haesler in the 51st minute while Bristol picked one up in the 56th. With both teams looking to capitalize, Bristol took that chance in the 69th minute, going 2-0 up. Yellow cards followed with Becerra picking one up in the 84th minute and three going to Bristol, two in the 88th minute and one in extra time. With the game nearing its end, the boys from Boone were able to pull one back as Schierholz beat the keeper to put the final score at 2-1 and three points to Bristol.
A tough loss for sure but the boys kept fighting until the very end. You can’t win every game but every game provides an opportunity to reflect and strategize before the next match.
The boys are back in action next Saturday for the return fixture against Hickory FC at Moretz Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:00 pm on the 7th.
Thank you for reading and remember to stay locked in with the Southeast Soccer Report for your Appalachian FC and NPSL coverage.
Good job!
That's a nifty bus! How long was the journey from the home base of the Sasquatches to Bristol? Also, did a substantial part of the Appalachian fan base make it to the game? (what was the attendance?)