GROSSE POINTE WOODS, MI- Liquid Football (7-2-2) tied Livonia City FC (6-3-2) 2-2 in a critical game for both teams in the title races for both Great Lakes divisions.
Liquid Football flew out of the gates at the beginning of the game. They were all over Livonia City. They were creating most of the chances. In the 16th minute, the ball was crossed into the box and found a wide-open Hamzah Saleh, who tapped it into the back of the net. 1-0 Liquid Football.
A few minutes later, Liquid Football earned a freekick just inside the Livonia City half. The ball was played into the box and fell again to Hamzah Saleh. His initial shot was blocked by a Livonia defender. The ball bounced right back to him, and he shot it again, and it soared past the keeper to make it 2-0 Liquid Football only twenty minutes into the game.
That was about it for Liquid Football. Livonia City started to create more and more chances. Liquid Football went into autopilot and limped into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
Liquid Football had made it a habit of conceding early second-half goals in their previous two games. Livonia City made it three in a row with an Evan Morrison shot from outside the box, which beat Liquid Football keeper Email Haidan to make it 2-1.
A few minutes later, Livonia City equalized after a free kick was crossed into the box and was won by Keegan O’Callahan, who headed it into the back of the net to make it 2-2.
Liquid Football seemed to wake up after conceding the second goal because they realized they needed to win this game to stay in the title race. They created most of the chances for the rest of the game but could not convert their opportunities. Livonia City’s goalkeeper played a big part in shutting down Liquid Football in the second half. He made some huge saves to keep the score level.
When the referee blew the final whistle, Liquid Football’s title hopes were dashed. The tie left the door wide open for Inter Detroit to win the title.
The tie also knocked Livonia City out. They needed to win and a lot of help from around the league. A lot. All the teams ahead of them also tied, knocking out everyone except Fort Wayne Sport Club 1927, who had one game left to play. They need to win by three goals or more to win the league on goal difference.
Liquid Football will finish in second place this season. For a first-year team, that is pretty good. They’ll take their lessons from their first season and adjust for the next season.
Liquid Football has one more game to play. It is away at BIH Grand Rapids on Saturday. Bosnia and Herzegovina Grand Rapids are a mid-table team in the Great Lakes West division. Yet, Liquid Football will have to play through some adversity if they want to beat them. To learn more, read the game preview coming soon.
Comments