NAPLES, Fla. - After a slow start to the season, the Warriors managed to pick up their first win of the season against the Gyrenes of Ave Maria.
Webber pressured early on, finding the lead just eleven minutes into the game. Ali Yazar set the ball on the half volley for Alberto Capuz, who perfectly buried it in the top left-hand corner of the net, leaving Ave Maria goalkeeper James Kuplack no option but to watch it fly by.
Returning to his hometown of Naples, Andres Acosta was looking to make an impression. It was in the 40th minute when he found himself in open space, thus deciding to have a strike on goal. The ball found the bottom right-hand corner of the net, as it rolled past a helpless Kuplack.
The Warriors' third came just before the break.
Alan Percival crossed a perfect ball into the danger zone, and it was
Andy Hernandez who managed to rise up and find the header. Hernandez, a fellow native of Naples, was cheered on by his family and friends.
It was ten minutes into the second half when Niclas Kristensen made it four. Estevan Lamas played the ball across the face of the goal, allowing Kristensen to beat the Ave Maria defense to the ball and slot it home.
Just a minute after Kristensen had his moment of glory, Lamas was involved in the action yet again, this time with a goal of his own. Lamas latched onto a through ball from Miguel Otero and calmly placed it beyond Kuplack.
The clock was ticking down and there was certainly no way back for the Gyrenes, but the Warriors were out to prove a point. The Warriors won a free kick about twenty-five yards from goal, and senior Christian Hall stepped up to strike the ball. Hall perfectly curled the ball into the back of the net, but with such velocity that it bounced back out. It was one that David Beckham would certainly be proud of.
Finally, with five minute s left to play, the Warriors put the icing on top of the cake. Capuz, who had opened the scoring, used his elegance to close it. This time the Spanish Magician curled the ball into the right-hand side of the net, another instance that was impossible for Kuplack to prevent.
Coach Cockburn said, “I am extremely proud of my boys and believe we are back on the right track. Morale is up, and while we still have a great deal of work to do, I believe we are in the right frame of mind ahead of Tampa on Tuesday.”
