A spirited second half performance wasn’t enough as Shane slipped to their first defeat of the season against Animals.
The torrential rain and poor lighting made for difficult conditions at JinHe, but Shane didn’t do themselves any favours as they started slowly and played into the hands of a good Animals side.
Animals took the lead early on as their quick winger latched onto a good through ball, before dispatching it low past the Shane keeper.
Shane reassessed their defensive line and their adjustments worked well, but Animals doubled their lead after some excellent passing on the edge of the box created an opening for the Animals striker, leaving Adam Lupinski with no chance as the shot nestled into the bottom corner.
The Shane heads didn’t drop though, and it wasn’t long before the lively Leo Michot was through on goal, only to be dragged back by the Animals defender for a stonewall penalty. Patrick Swandell stepped up to calmly dispatch the penalty, before the referee ordered a retake. He had no problem with the second attempt either, and Shane went into half-time 2-1 down.
Shane came out fighting in the second half and played the game largely in the Animals half, but couldn’t find the elusive equaliser. Animals had their chances too as Shane were pushing on, but Adam Lupinski made some excellent saves to keep Shane in the game.
Shane will come away disappointed that they couldn’t find the equaliser, and on another day they might’ve been a bit sharper in front of goal. Nevertheless, they should be proud of the fight they displayed in the second half, and kept pushing until the last kick.
Shane next face-off against league leaders B53 on April 17th.
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