MATCH REPORT; Madison 1 Southbury 2

Yeah, losing sucks......

If last weeks game was like playing in a Swedish sauna then this time it felt like we were in Dante's inferno. Unfortunately saturating heat and a blinding Sun were only minor problems compared to our real issues with this game. Last minute injuries to Tom A and Ronilldo meant that the team had only 11 players on the day..... on a day that subbing would be critical. On top of that Tano and El Gato had to play the whole 90 minutes while carrying bad injuries. OK, so that's all the excuses out the way and from that you can tell that these are excuses for a rare Madison defeat. Yes, the 12 game undefeated run came to an end as Madison went down fighting against a very well organized and committed Southbury team.

The game got off to the worst of starts with a great goal by Southbury after a midfield/defensive bungle. Southbury caught Madison completely cold in the first 20 minutes of the game, which is quite ironic considering the amount of heat available. Southbury were also subbing out their 16 man squad from very early in the match and had a real game plan to keep there players hydrated and fresh. Madison fought hard to get into the game and to their credit really kept Southbury in their own half or outside the Madison box. Great defending and courageous tackling by Gogglito really shored up the defence at this point in the game as it edge to half time.
Madison had their chances to equalize none more so when Safet raced into the box and tipped the ball wide of the net when it looked easier to score.

After some much needed rest and water at half time Madison started the second half well and had a number of chances to score. Eventually, after one such attack, Safet broke clear again in the opposition box and made up for his earlier miss by slamming in the equalizer. At this point of the game Madison were looking the stronger team and the more likely to go on and win. However, as the half wore on the chances came and went and the heat really began to take it's toll on the Celts. However, it was still a bit of a shock at how easily Southbury scored their winning goal. A ball lost in the midfield was swept out to the Madison left finding an opposition player clear in the box and with minimal challenge he stroked the ball past the stranded Bruce.

The final whistle ended the Madison winning run, Jorge's goalscoring streak and put a bit of a dent on the Celts' defensive record......But, Madison remain on top of the table and this performance shows how strong a team Madison are. Fighting the elements, injuries and up against a fast subbing team they showed true grit and determination. It would have been easy to find an excuse to give up but the team kept going and showed the winning characteristics that have brought them on so far this season.

MAN OF THE MATCH; Gogglito...very brave and consistent defending kept the team in the hunt throughout thew whole
game. Great performances overall by the team considering the challenges