Annapolis Blues FC Defeats FC Frederick, Advance to Mid-Atlantic Conference Final
By Tyler Ingle/Annapolis Blues FC
In one of the Mid-Atlantic Conference Semifinals, the number one seeded Annapolis Blues came away with a commanding 5-0 win over fourth-seeded FC Frederick before a crowd of 7,036 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Wednesday’s match marked the third meeting between the two sides this season with Annapolis coming away victorious in both of the prior outings by scores of 4-2 and 4-1. The opening 20 minutes did not see much action from either side; however, it was apparent early on that the heat, humidity, and potentially stormy conditions could have a significant effect on the match.
Nic Shirley opened the scoring for the Blues in the 21st minute off a corner kick. It was another perfect set piece delivery from Matias De Jesus; the cross from the right side was lifted high to the back post. Leaping over his defender, Shirley connected with the corner and headed the ball into the top of the net, beating Frederick goalkeeper Noah Kump who couldn’t react fast enough.
Kump redeemed himself with a solid kick-save on Alex Wroblewski in the 26th minute. Wroblewski, who was inside the box, cut in from the left side to beat his defender and hit a shot from eight yards out. Attempting to find the bottom right corner, Wroblewski’s shot was saved by Kump at full reach.
The Blues were awarded a penalty in the 41st minute. De Jesus, making an attacking run, attempted to get onto the end of a lifted through ball. As De Jesus made his way into the 18-yard box, Frederick defender Brennan Gac shoved De Jesus through the back, leading to a penalty and ultimately a yellow card. De Jesus stepped up to the spot and confidently finished his chance by placing the ball into the right side of the goal.
Coming out of the half, Frederick’s Erick Villatoro was shown a yellow card in the 52nd minute after going through the back of De Jesus in the middle of the field. Luke Dunne was substituted in the 55th minute for Shirley who was nursing an injury from the end of the first half.
De Jesus scored his second in the 56th minute. Toshi Davis picked up the ball on the left wing, just outside the 18-yard box, and played a cross-field pass that was dummied by Alex Abril, fooling the Frederick defense. The ball found the feet of De Jesus who was wide open on the right side of the box. Making no mistake, De Jesus rocketed the ball into the upper corner of the near post.
Not done yet, De Jesus scored his third of the match in the 74th minute. Winning the ball outside the box, De Jesus then turned one defender and muscled off another. Continuing his run, he made his way to the edge of the box and fired home a left-footed shot that found the top right corner of the net.
Rich Monath would add a fifth for the Blues, making an impact in the 81st minute after coming in as a substitute in the second half. Mikey Revell drove towards the Frederick defense and played a square pass to Monath inside the box. Wide open on the left side of the field, Monath cut inside and calmly slotted his shot into the bottom right corner, nestling into the back post.
The Blues will host the Mid-Atlantic Conference Final on Saturday, July 13 against the number three-seeded Virginia Dream. The match will be played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium with a scheduled time of 7:00 pm.
Photo Credit: Pamela Cowart Rickman/Annapolis Blues FC
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