Bluegrass Bandits fall to West Michigan, 3-2, in OT

(Lexington, Ky.) - With a 2-0 halftime lead, the Bluegrass Bandits were on the "Edge" of their fourth victory in their last five matches. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell visiting West Michigan (6-7). The Edge tallied two second-half goals and later stunned the Bandits, 3-2, in overtime last Friday night at Lexington Catholic.

Just about everything went right for the Bandits (4-8) in the opening half. Early pressure up front led to a goal in the fifth minute by Moises Drumond, following an assist from Wendell Collymore. For Drumond, it was his team-leading sixth goal of the 2000 season, but more importantly, it put the Lexington club on top, 1-0.

Nearly 30 minutes later, team captain Ansu Sirleaf scored off a free kick for the 2-0 lead. Drumond tapped the ball back to Sirleaf, who launched a shot from 25 yards out that deflected off a West Michigan defender and over goalkeeper Shawn Alexander.

The visiting Edge quickly seized momentum in the second half. Just eight minutes after halftime, Ricardo Aleong stunned the Bandits’ defense, scoring on a free kick that hit off the left post and bounced into the goal.

The Bandits had several good scoring chances during the second half, including a header by Jay Flynn that just missed its mark at the far post, following a cross by Nick McDevitt.

With about 15 minutes remaining in regulation, West Michigan’s Sam Skeels got a hold of a loose ball just inside the 18-yard box and surprised Bandits’ goalkeeper Derek Orf with a left-footed volley that ended up just inside the right post. Suddenly, the game was tied at 2-2.

The physical play of the first and second halves spilled over into the first ten minute overtime period. At one point, the two teams found themselves in a brief shoving match, following a hard foul from a West Michigan player.

Very late in the first sudden death overtime period, the Edge caught the Bandits pushing up on offense and took advantage of a two-on-one breakaway. Despite the defensive efforts of Sirleaf, who was the last Bandits’ defender between the ball and the goal, West Michigan’s Skeels scored his second goal of the game to lead the Edge to the come-from-behind win.

GAME BOX SCORE (JULY 7, 2000):
West Michigan Edge 0 2 1- 3
Bluegrass Bandits 2 0 0- 2
Goals: Bandits (5th minute) Moises Drumond (Assist-Wendell Collymore); Bandits (35th minute) Ansu Sirleaf (Assist-Drumond); Edge (53rd minute) Ricardo Aleong (Unassisted); Edge (76th minute) Sam Skeels; Edge (103rd minute) Skeels; Goalkeepers: Bandits-Derek Orf, Edge-Shawn Alexander; Records: Bandits 4-8, Edge 6-7.

Bluegrass Bandits battle hard, but fall to Premier Development League’s best, Mid Michigan, 2-0

(Lexington, Ky.)- It was no secret that last Saturday’s soccer game featuring the Bluegrass Bandits and Mid Michigan at Lexington Catholic High School was of "David and Goliath" proportion. The visiting Bucks had won four straight divisional titles, posted an astonishing 12-2-1 record, and had already beaten Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution in U.S. Open Cup competition.

Still, the Bandits (4-9) played admirably, played hard, and limited the mighty Bucks to just two goals in the 2-0 setback. It was the second-lowest goal total for Mid Michigan in any game this season, rivaling a 3-2 loss to Kalamazoo early in the season and last week’s 1-1 tie at Dayton.

Unfortunately, the Lexington club had very little offensive chances throughout the game, and couldn’t dent the Mid Michigan defense and goalkeeper Alan Placek. The Bandits mustered just six shots on goal during the first half.

Midfielder Chad Schomaker got the Bucks on the board at the 14:25 mark of the first half, with what Bandits’ Coach Rob Miller termed a "cheap" goal. Schomaker lifted what appeared to be a cross into the penalty box, but the Bandits’ defense overplayed the ball and it got by goalkeeper Derek Orf at the far post.

Mid Michigan’s Paul Snape added his team’s second goal very early in the second half. Less than three minutes after halftime, Snape received the ball in the center of the 18-yard box, held off a Bandits’ defender, and scored to the left side of the goal.

The Bandits’ best chances to score came late in both the first and second halves. Justin Sanders just missed with 4:47 left in the first half on a hard shot from 25-yards away, while Scott Deopere worked his way into the penalty box with 2:45 left in the game, but couldn’t get enough leg behind his shot.

Although the Bandits dropped their third straight game, the 2-0 loss was a far cry from a 7-1 setback to the Bucks in early June. Coach Miller said, "I think it really says a lot about how far we’ve come this season. The guys really played as hard as they could, and they never backed down. Just a couple of breaks the other way, and we might have pulled off the upset."

GAME BOX FROM JULY 8, 2000:
Mid Michigan Bucks 1 1- 2
Bluegrass Bandits 0 0- 0
Goals: Bucks (1st-14:25) Chad Schomaker; Bucks (2nd-42:20) Paul Snape; Goalkeepers: Bucks-Alan Placek, Bandits-Derek Orf; Records: Bucks 12-2-1, Bandits 4-9.