The Hounds battle back to a draw after being both a goal and a man down.
The wild ride continues.
Saturday was probably one of the most emotional roller coaster of a games the Hounds have played this season. I suppose fighting for your playoff lives will do that. The Hounds started off playing rather defensively and looked to capitalize off of any chances they could get from Wilmington. It as a similar style to how they played in Louisville a few weeks ago. The Hounds have never been great on the road, and with the season winding down and legs getting a little tired coach Steffens probably feels playing conservative on the road is preferable to grind out point than going balls to the wall like at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately it didn’t really work well this time. The Hounds looked a little disorganized in the first half and allowed Wilmington to score a goal early. The chances Kerr got as the lone striker weren’t great and come half time I was concerned I didn’t have enough beer in the fridge. With the season on the line history wasn’t on the Hounds side. It’s been upward of 5+ years since the Hounds got even a single point playing at Wilmington. There was still plenty of time left in the game, and then the red card to Flunder happened. The Hounds found themselves a man down, the season was on life support, and I was sinking deeper into the couch.
And then something odd happened. Instead of kicking the Hounds while they were down, Wilmington started to sit back, and surprisingly, the Hounds started to look good. The take away from this season is apparently always go down a man, never go up. Something lit a fire under the Hounds asses and they started to control the game and get chances on net. I slowly crept closer to the edge of my seat, and in the 70th minute Vini Dantas reminded us he exists by putting one in the net. The never say die Hounds we fell in love with from the beginning of the season came back! The final twenty minutes was edge of your seat soccer. The Hounds fighting to keep the tie, and Wilmington deciding they might actually want to win. In the end the Hounds escape with a playoff point and post-season dreams still alive.
A point isn’t bad but a win would’ve been better. The Hounds playoff hopes are still hanging by a thread. To make sure they guarantee a spot they essentially can’t lose either of the next two games. Wednesday night is a big one against conference, and league, best Rochester Rhinos. It’s the last home game of the season and we need everyone there. We’re declaring a BLACK OUT in the Paul Child Stand. Kick off is at 7 pm, tailgate starts after work.
Playoff Watch
Pretty favorable results over the weekend. Harrisburg and Richmond drawing on Saturday was big for the Hounds. Charlotte losing to St. Louis is pretty helpful as well. The game in hand the Hounds have against all the teams above them is big. Richmond plays their last game on Wednesday so we’ll know where they stand before our final match up. Harrisburg also has a game on Wednesday night. It’s still possible for the Hounds to finish as high as 4th and get a home playoff game. More than likely though they’ll probably just squeak in with 5th or 6th.
#UNLEASH
