A goal in the first minute by Jack Joyce was not enough to push the Midwest Hooligans past the Pumas in the season opener for the UPSL.
Traveling to Mayfield, KY to open up the campaign of the inaugural season for the Hooligans in the UPSL. Wanting to get off to a strong start to the season the Hooligans got exactly that when Jack Joyce picked off a pass from the keeper just 45 seconds into the game. Joyce then rifled the ball right back toward the goal scoring the first goal for the Hooligans. “I was just glad to be in the right spot at the right time to get the season started off the right way,” Said Joyce after the game. “Feel like an early goal always settles the nerves a bit” Joyce continued.
The lead was short lived after the Pumas found the goal on a missed clearance off a corner where a shot from the top of the box found the bottom corner past goalkeeper Lucas Russell.
Play evened out after that goal with both teams exchanging chances before the half time.
The second half started and Pumas jumped back on top with a quick counter attack goal that put the Hooligans on the back foot.
Pumas felt comfortable for the next 20 minutes but an incident off the ball caused the Pumas to receive a red card and the Hooligans applied the pressure.
The Pumas held on till the 80th minute till Vice Captain Blake Cobb got fouled in the box and the Hooligans had a chance to equalize the game. Wathel stepped up and calmly placed the ball in the bottom corner to tie the game 2-2.
The game for the final 10 minutes was a mad dash to see if one team could get the winning goal.
Final score of the game was 2-2, Coach Andy Donahue had this to say about the game “Decent start to the season. It gives us a platform to work from. The boys showed great work rate and resilience to get something from the game.” Coach Donahue continued “We'll look to the next game for another chance to improve.”
The next game for the Hooligans is April 16th where they travel to Manchester, TN to play the Nashville Knights. Stay up to date on all things Hooligans here or on our Facebook or Instagram.