MATCH REPORT; Madison 2 Falcons 2

Madison Celts Clip Falcons' Wings

Madison kept their reputation as the leagues draw specialists in this bruising encounter with the high flying Falcons. Although the Polish team were a constant threat throughout the game Madison had some significant chances late on in the match to snatch a winner.

On another bright sunny Fall morning this game promised to be a real treat for the soccer connoisseur, and so it proved. A strong start by the Falcons was matched by an equally confident display by the home team. Early chances fell to both teams but alert goal keeping by Behrooz and strong man to man defending kept the Falcons at bay whilst Madison peppered the opposition goalkeeper with a series of speculative shots. However the match really burst into action when Madison won a direct free kick just outside the Falcons penalty box. This allowed Rohan to step up and showcase his incredible dead ball shooting skills when he rocketed an unstoppable shot high into the top left hand corner of the Falcons goal to put Madison one up. This was Rohans seventh goal of the season and emphasised how important his robust forward play is to the Madison team. The goal clearly rattled the league leaders who sprang into attacking action with a series of smart forward moves. Great movement on and off the ball by the Falcons really put the home team on the back foot. After a corner was conceded by Madison the subsequent cross was whipped in and met sweetly on the head by one of the Falcon forwards for the equalizer. The Falcons took great heart from this goal and they really took a grip of the game at this point. After several minutes of sustained attacks the Falcons released a great defence splitting ball down the Madison right. The Falcons forward latched onto the ball and with defenders trailing in his wake he fired a fantastic finish beyond the grasping arms of Behrooz for a 2-1 lead to the Falcons.

Madison held out to half time with this score line but were beginning to struggle. Madison had only 11 players available for this game, so with no substitutes they would have to be careful to conserve their energy. The second half started with renewed attacks by the Falcons and some great possession play. At this point Madison were kept in the game by a sequence of superb saves by Behrooz and some great backs to the wall defending by the Madison back four. And as the second half wore on with no further goals from the Falcons the Celts confidence started to rise and they began to push the league leaders back into their own half. Then after one great run by Ronnie down the left and a great ball to Rohan, the "TANK" brushed off a number of the Falcon defenders like flies as he drove into the penalty box before smashing a great equalizer into the net. His eighth of the season and a major blow to the Falcons. At this point in the contest it was anyones game and a number of close chances near the end for Madison could have ruined the Falcons impressive unbeaten run. The Falcons started to take out their frustrations on the Madison team with some hefty late tackles and some petty fouls and trips. In the end they held out for the draw and Madison could feel disappointed not to take all three points in a game that showed their strong defence and attacking qualities in full force.

On this form Madison are proving to be a tough team to beat. Apart from the aberration of the Bridgeport result they have been unbeaten in their last 8 games. If they had been able to convert some of these tied games into wins they would be challenging at the top of the table.