The Mighty Shane's second preseason game of 2017 resulted in a well-deserved win, as our boys defeated the Taipei Magpies 4-3 to extend their unbeaten run to four games. This comes only a week after a disappointing draw with the Badgers, which was marred with rushed play and little attacking creativity. The squad comes away from this one, however, with a much better feeling as it was a much improved performance.
After struggling to adapt to an untested 3-4-3 formation in the opening period, the boys went two goals behind quite early. Despite some lowered heads, Shane rallied midway through the game and scored four goals in quick succession to take the lead. Man of the match Zach hit an excellent hat trick while winger Hassan scored with a well taken poacher's finish. The Magpies pulled a goal back in the last 15 minutes to make things interesting, but it was the Mighty Shane who prevailed when the ninety minutes were up.
There were a lot of positives to take from this game as the team looked really dangerous once we got our passing game going and started to cause the Magpies problems going forward. Additionally, it's great to know that the 3-4-3 formation is another option for us with a long season ahead.
The Mighty Shane's 2017 OTPL season will kick off on February 12th against the B52 Carnegies at FuHe Park.