Lions Roar Back to Victory with a 5-0 Win Over Voodoo

The spring weather was nowhere to be found last Saturday, as we played in a chilly 11 degrees. Despite a depleted squad due to injuries and no available goalkeeper, we were grateful that Samba stepped up to wear the gloves! With only 12 players, our young talents—aged 15, 16, and 17—got plenty of playing time, making it one of our youngest lineups yet.

First Half: A Slow Start

We approached the first half cautiously, prioritizing defense to avoid conceding an early goal. Interestingly, Voodoo took the same approach, resulting in few chances on either end.

Charlie came close but was a second too late when trying to bypass the keeper, and Daniel struck the crossbar. Our gameplay was disjointed, with too many long balls and crosses instead of simple, short passes. Many of our long balls lacked precision and pace. A crucial save from Samba kept the score level, and we went into the break at 0-0.

Second Half: Tactical Shift & Goals Galore

During halftime, we agreed to change our style, focusing on short passes and maintaining possession. The adjustment paid off quickly, as we strung together multiple passes with the whole team involved.

The mounting pressure on Voodoo’s defense finally broke when Charlie beat the keeper to open the scoring! Soon after, a great combination between Tommy and Charlie set up Tommy, whose (powerful…!) shot found the net to make it 2-0.

Our third goal was one for the highlight reel. Peter skillfully dribbled past two Voodoo midfielders but, seeing no passing options, continued forward. He then outplayed two defenders and, with only the onrushing keeper left, calmly took him on as well before finishing brilliantly. A spectacular solo effort—Peter at his best!

Hira-san delivered a perfect corner, allowing Charlie to score his second of the match and extend our lead to 4-0.

The icing on the cake was a brilliant link-up between youngsters Tommy and Daniel. With the keeper already out of position, Daniel simply had to tap the ball into the net, sealing our dominant 5-0 victory!