Game of the Week this week featured Morrissey Hall and Alumni Hall in a battle for the championship title for Men’s Interhall Soccer. On a rainy day, in front of a rather large and rowdy crowd in Old Alumni Stadium, the two teams vied for the title of RecSports champions.
In the first half, both teams were unable to find the net, but both teams had plenty of chances. Alumni had more control of the ball in the first half, and had a number of good shots, only to be turned away by the fantastic play of the Morrissey goalkeeper. Alumni looked to have the momentum, and nearly took the lead right before halftime, but the shot hit the crossbar and sailed over the goal.
Morrissey was no without their chances as well. Their strategy to work the ball up the wings and volley the ball into the goalie box saw a few opportunities but none of them brought any goals.
In an evenly fought match, Alumni seemed to garner the victory when Morrissey turned the ball over deep in their own half, and a Alumni midfielder dribbled down the sideline and sent a low cross into the box to find a speeding Alumni attacker, who buried the ball in the top of the net. Without an official clock showing, Alumni seemed to have it locked up.
The pressure was on for Morrissey, who ramped up their offense and took control of the ball. Although they controlled almost all of the possession after the goal, they were unable to find the net. The Alumni goalie was superb in breaking up attempt after attempt. Luckily for Morrissey, with only 20 seconds left in the contest, there was a small breakdown in the Alumni defence and a loose ball squirted out in the goalie box. The ball found a Morrissey forward who slid in to equalize the contest. Immediately after, the final whistle blew, and we were headed into sudden death overtime.
With only a short 5-minute period, it was unclear whether either team would be able to score, but just as quickly as they had tied the game, Morrissey was able to bury the ball in the back of the net. A Morrissey midfielder stole the ball and dribbled all the way to the sideline and sent a low cross into the middle of the field. The ball found a Morrissey midfielder who faked one way, spun around and smashed the game winning shot into the goal.
Morrissey were crowned as this year’s Men’s Interhall Soccer champions, and they did it in exciting fashion. Congratulations to both teams for a well-fought and entertaining game.
Byron Henry, Marketing & Communications / Photos courtesy of Danny Burke
