Mighty Shane triumphed over longtime rivals OnTap Badgers today in a heated contest at Fujen University with three first half goals. The result sees Shane walk away with their third win of the season.
The 2:00 kickoff boasted summertime conditions and temperatures of near 40 degrees. Despite the heat, Shane got off to a brilliant start, building off the good work put in last week versus the Magpies, and continuing a high standard of passing football. Working the ball all over the pitch, the Badgers barely got a touch on the ball in the opening minutes.
It was all Shane until around the 15th minute, when the nil nil deadlock was finally broken, as Daniel Busquets expertly swept home a cool finish following great work by Matty Raitt and Hassan Raphael. Shortly after the first goal, Hassan nicked a goal of his own after being played in by Rory Foye down the right.
The Badgers grew into the game a bit, getting more touches on the ball and playing dangerous balls in from deep. However, Shane still had control of the proceedings, and it was not long before they struck again -- this time through a Zach Paruch penalty won by Matty Raitt.
Despite being on the receiving end of Shane's early first half blitz, the Badgers did not roll over, and soon clawed a goal back via a free kick from distance. The game intensified after halftime, as the Badgers desperately looked to get back into the game. Shane continued their dominance of the ball, but the opposition still looked dangerous on the break.
The Badgers caught a break midway through the second half, as Chris "Mad Dog" Pohlman's save was deflected back into his own net. With the scoreline at 3-2, the last 15 minutes of the game were quite nervy, but Shane never really looked like losing the game.
The result was a good one for the Mighty Shane, and the they will feel they've earned their bye week next weekend. MSFC are back in action on Sunday, June 12.