If Wasn’t For Bad Luck, Xtreme Wouldn’t Have Any At All

Xtreme took the field against Potomac Red on Sunday, and on paper the teams were well-matched. They were also well matched on the bench – finally the substitution-light Xtreme would not be going up against constantly fresh legs – both teams entered the game with 10 players.

The game opened slowly with both teams testing each other and the turf field that provided many odd bounces. The first half seemed to mostly be played between the two 18s, with neither team mounting much offense. The Xtreme keeper was only asked to make two saves in the half, and the Xtreme offense generated a season low 5 shots on goal all game.

Finally the stalemate was broken in the 42^nd minute when a Potomac breakaway led to a goal. Two minutes later, Potomac would add another one with a weirdly spinning ball. But it was the Potomac goals that somehow sparked Xtreme to life, as suddenly the squad began pressuring the Potomac defense.

With time winding down, Xtreme finally found the back of the net in the 64^th minute, when the Taxman pounced on a blocked shot, took two steps to space, and hammered the ball past the Potomac keeper.

With the Xtreme offense energized, Potomac switched to an effective lead-protecting, run-out-the-clock game plan. Potomac substituted the farthest player from the bench at every break in the action during the final 6 minutes. Xtreme provided an exciting finish with Big Foot and the Hammer sending a surging Happy Feet ahead on two breakaways in the final minutes, but it would be an all too familiar case of "too-little too-late."

Xtreme had hoped to head into the Columbus Day Tournament break with a win, instead they logged a somewhat frustrating 2-1 loss to a team they outplayed most of the game. The squad looks ahead to the VIP Tournament where they were finalists last year.