The crowds began to gather at the pitch, and everyone was expecting a day full of hot weather and heated match-ups. The Irish Pub Ninjas were still looking for a win to validate their season as they went head-to-head with a determined Ale House Marauder squad. The teams were a bit piecemeal as both squads took on several substitute players, but there are always more than enough volunteers as the number of games left to play in begins to dwindle.
Ale House carried on the strong passing that had seen them make a late-season surge, and the strong team play allowed them to jump out to an early lead. The Ninjas were giving chase, but they were struggling to push their plays past the speedy Marauder midfield. Irish Pub looked as if they were a little off balance as they adjusted to their new positions and temporary teammates. Anna Krajcik was making some spirited stops on defense though, as tried her hand at goal for the Ninjas. Pub eventually began to get their touches in, and more than a few times made the Marauders sweat it out in the scrum, but Tim Sulik was doing a spectacular job of wielding his defense to help shut down shooting lanes.
With tough match-ups at both ends, the half lines became integral to the game plan of both teams. These nimble position players were pulling back to help the defense, only to turn around and pursue the play downfield to gain any offensive advantage they could. Andrew “Rhino” Wozniak was a great example of this strategy on the Ale House side, while Todd “Scrappy” Witt was giving an equally impressive effort for his Ninjas. Ale House was simply doing a better job of adjusting to their unusual line-out positions due to the subs though, and the Marauders entered halftime with a sizeable lead over the Ninjas.
Ale House Aims For
Ninja Knockout by Jason Kirkpatrick