September 26, 2009 - Haverford, PA

The Kixx headed over to Havertown this weekend to face off with the Haverford Celtic in a match of undefeated teams. Continuing our string of good luck, Saturday was another gorgeous morning, and the Celtic had a nice field nestled in a small park in the middle of a residential area. The Kixx wore their blue again . . . since they've been playing so well, Coach John is feeling superstitious and doesn't want to wear the white until he's forced to do so! Haverford wore sharp black uniforms. The Kixx warmed up by practicing some centering passes, a skill we'd been working on in practice last week, and which would come into play against the Celtic...

The game started off fairly well-balanced, but the Kixx were a little tentative. The Celtic featured some strong forwards, and they were winning the loose balls early, even though the two teams were a fairly close match talent-wise. Defenders Max Gress and Daniel Andris kept up under the pressure, and goalie Mike Battisti made a number of saves, but the Celtic kept up the pressure, and tallied first from the right wing on a shot that beat Mike to his right. The Kixx kept fighting, though, and as the game continued their play improved, getting strong pressure up front from Charlie Beale and Dalton Musselman. It was Charlie who broke through first, knocking a goal home from inside the box to even the score.

The see-saw action continued, but the Kixx jumped out to a lead next, as some strong play from Daniel Good pushed the ball through. Dalton split the defenders, and buried it for a 2-1 lead. But the Celtic fought back, tying the game on a goal that was nearly identical to their first. That brought us to halftime with the score tied at 2-2.

The battle continued in the second half, with Mike Caggiano and Zach DeLone making several nice runs on the wings, but it was Michael Bolger who broke through for the Kixx. Taking a ball down the left wing, he centered a gorgeous ball to Dalton, who buried it for a 3-2 lead. It was exactly as we'd practiced it, and executed perfectly! But the Kixx couldn't quite put the Celtic away. Defender Max Gress was a lifesaver, stopping the Celtic attackers time after time. Daniel Good, now in goal, scooped up the few things that got through. Mike Battisti and Brian Miller kept the pressure up from the middle, feeding balls ahead, including one that Joey D'Angelo just missed knocking home.

Time was running out for the Celtic, and the Kixx just had to hang on for a few more minutes, but Michael Bolger gave the Kixx some breathing room when he lofted a ball over the goalie's head and into the far corner of the net for a 4-2 lead!

Shortly thereafter, the whistle blew, and the Kixx were proud owners of a 3-0 record in league play! See video of the game here! This coming weekend looks to be a defining one, with games against Radnor (2-1-1) and Lower Merion (2-0-1). Lower Merion's only non-win came from a 3-3 tie with Haverford, while Radnor tied Marple Newtown and lost to Haverford. West-Mont, meanwhile, ran their record to a perfect 4-0.