LREI’s 2022 title run started off with a scrappy 2-2 draw against FASNY, with the Knights having gone up 2 before conceding two. FASNY would go on to draw the other two teams in playoff position, proving themselves to be defensively adept, and finish one spot above the Knights at the end of regular season seeding. And prior to this game the Sharks had picked up this season where they left off last year, playing out a tight 1-1 draw just last week. LREI came into this game on the back of having their game against Dwight rained out in the flooding on Friday. That match will be rescheduled. 

Very early on it became apparent how FASNY planned to try to punish LREI. A tight midfield three pushed the ball out to the wings where they had incredible speed and technique. On the left FASNY tried to outrace LREI left back Simone Barbosa and gain the corner to find a cutback. But Barbosa’s reading of the through ball and her anticipation and positioning helped her keep the right flank secure against a very good player. On the left FASNY’s winger looked to get into a clear 1v1 battle with left back Tsering Sherpa. But Sherpa was patient and well placed, refusing to bite on fakes and able to deny the space inside her. Between the two of them and centerback team Anneke Goudsmit and Olivia Atienza covering to refuse deeper balls and getting into the physical battles necessary to block up the middle, the first half really belonged to the Knight’s defense.

LREI’s attack was not idle in the first 40 however. The Knights also found a lot of their work being done in the wide areas, as FASNY clogged the central block. Left winger Finn Byrne repeatedly offered an outlet to allow the reds to transition from deep and move into then attacking third. Sherpa and Goudsmit both offered line breaking passes into her path, and her speed and smart use of space provided needed opportunities to transition quickly and get the opponents on the back foot. On the right side Tanvi Pawar did her best work in that attacking end. Her fullback struggled to contain her, and combinations up the sideline put her in along the endline several times. FASNY was forced to adjust and bring a second player into that space by the end of the half. 

The Knights got their goal in the 26th minute. Senior central midfielder Sammi Sapira applied pressure to the ball and poked it to attacking midfielder Sookie Lee. The run forward Cassidy Moskowitz caused the center backs to split, and Lee turned her midfield marker to break into the space, putting her free on goal to pass it into the bottom corner. The goal gave LREI some breaking space, but FASNY was not going to let the lead go unchallenged. There was defending work to do, and first half goalkeeper Romy Kregsman proved to have sure hands on several occasions, providing confidence. She even came out to rush an oncoming attacker at one point, which caused the ensuing shot to go over the bar. In all it was a good performance from the netminder. 

FASNY did have a period of dominance, and it came in the first 10 minutes after the break. Outnumbering LREI in the midfield as the Knights struggled with their shape, the Sharks moved multiple dangerous players to the same side in an attempt to outnumber LREI’s defenders. For the most part they were kept at bay much as they had in the first half, but LREI weren’t able to connect with their higher players in the same way, and the pressure mounted. With nine minutes gone after the restart the right winger cut inside, and received a pass that split multiple lines in the Knights formation. In behind the defense she poked the ball into the far corner to level the game. 

And that was the score that stood until the final whistle. After the wake up call the Knights applied more pressure to the opponent’s goal, including a credible penalty shout that went unheeded when Moskowitz took a ball from Lee that put her in a footrace with FASNY defenders. It looked to all that the convergence of opponents took the forward down in the box, but the referee waved away the claim and play continued. It wasn’t the only opportunity that LREI had. There was a combination on the right wing involving Moskowitz and Pawar that saw the ball trickle teasingly across the goal with more than one Knight’s attacker unable to turn it home. In the end the draw is something the team will be thinking about and feeling like there were opportunities to come out with more. But it  is in many ways encouraging, as one of the sure playoff teams who proved to be as good or better than advertised is now in the rearview mirror with a point gained, and the Knights still control their own destiny. 

LREI play next on Thursday, October 5th against BWL. The game will be back on Randall’s Island, field 72. BWL has only played one game in the ISAL up to this point, a loss to Avenues.