A lone penalty was the difference in the first ever matchup between Memphis 901 and Monterey Bay, a club looking to make the playoffs in their second season of play.
The incident occurred in the 31st minute from a handball in the box conceded by Akeem Ward, as the left back jumped in front of a potential strike right in front of Monterey’s Chase Boone. The ball, near shoulder-level, took an unfortunate bounce in-between the two opposing players and the referee pointed to the spot seconds later.
Alexander Dixon was able to put away the penalty, sneaking the ball just under the hand of Drew Romig at the bottom left corner.
Despite scoring the only goal of the match, Monterey spent most of their time in their own half, defending without the ball. Memphis was the more dominant team, especially in the first half where several quality chances lacked the finishing touch.
The halftime break did not change the flow of the game. Memphis controlled even more of the possession (80%) and tallied 17 total shots.
“The amount of shots we had, to not score a goal from that is probably the biggest disappointment,” head coach Stephen Glass said.
Monterey were content letting Memphis pass the ball from side-to-side, clearing the ball away when necessary and maintaining their solid defensive shape. Carlos Herrera, the Monterey goalkeeper, was rarely troubled throughout the 90 minutes having to make only seven saves.
“You’ve got to play expecting the opposition goalkeeper to have the game of his life, but put [the ball] in positions that the best goalkeeper is not saving it,” Glass said. “So I think that’s the aim for us, is to be finishing chances better.”
Memphis 901 FC will finish off the home stand against Hartford Athletic on Saturday, September 16 at 7pm. Harford have lost five in a row and have a league worst 16 points for the year.
Photo Credit: D’Angelo Connell Photography