Wallaceburg Sting Finally Begin to Buzz
After getting off to a rocky start in the early portion of the season, the Wallaceburg Sting, of the WOSL’s First division, have righted the ship. This is, in large part, due to the ability to finally field a full line-up. In previous games, the Sting had been missing a handful of starters due to circumstances surrounding work, weddings and injury. It was only because of rec league call-ups Dave Foster, Eric Fox, Derek Suitor, & Kyle Allaer, that the Sting were able to field a competitive team during those times. Each logged significant playing time during the games they made (and continue to make) themselves available for. The Wallaceburg Sting greatly appreciate and commend them for their support.
On Friday, June 15th, the Sting debuted on their newly renovated home pitch, Kinsmen Park, versus London Bosnia. The Sting’s ball movement proved its worth early on, when Phil Nywening was sent in one-on-one with a defender, and beat the goalie with a shot that snuck in off the right post. Nywening’s play resulted in another goal not much later, when he fed a wide open BJ Charpentier out front of the net. Charpentier made no mistake as he blasted home a shot high over the keeper. The Sting continued the attack before the half, seeing grizzled veteran, Jorge DaSilva, make a nice feed to send in Taylor McArthur all alone on the keeper. McArthur touched the ball past the sliding keeper and buried the ball into the empty net, giving the Sting a 3-0 lead at the half.
Midway through the second half, Charpentier got himself on the gamesheet again, this time for the wrong reason. After his late sliding tackle, an angered opponent charged after him, only to be caught in the face by the blow of Charpentier’s outstretched arm. The Bosnia defender was shown a yellow card, and Charpentier a direct red, putting the Sting a man down for the game’s final 20 minutes. Bosnia began attacking with more men looking to get back in the game but weren’t getting any results on the scoreboard. The only blemish to the Sting’s lead came late in the game when a clearing attempt of a loose ball near the goal ricocheted off the oncoming Bosnia player and into the net. In their home debut, the Sting picked up their second win of the season by a score of 3-1.
The Sting took back to road Monday, June 18th to take on the London Portuguese. This was a re-scheduled game, originally apart of their 6-game road trip to being the season. The game began with the Portuguese dominating possession, leaving Wallaceburg to try and hold off their early attack. The Sting re-grouped, and began their own control of ball possession, creating several good scoring chances of their own. Though real opportunities for Mark Foster and Taylor McArthur presented themselves, they weren’t able to beat a tough Portuguese keeper, seeing the game go to the half tied 0-0.
Early second half, Kurtis Lubbers sent Colin McArthur in alone for a breakaway but the keeper was able to make an unusual save, stopping the ball between his butt and the grass as he fell back on the shot. Shortly after, Lubbers, the Sting’s central defender, left the pitch after pulling his hamstring, forcing the Sting to re-arrange defensive personnel. In the 65th minute, Mark Foster was spotted down the right wing. Upon receiving the pass, he carried down the right wing, before sending the ball hard and low into the goal area. He found the darting, BJ Charpentier, who one-touched the ball into the Portuguese net for a 1-0 lead.
To preserve their lead, the Sting repositioned defensively, sending the versatile, Charpentier, back as a fourth defender. The Sting continued to frustrate the Portuguese attackers, and put a stop to their late-game efforts to equalize. The final whistle sounded with a 1-0 Sting victory. This was the first of a current 3-game road swing the Sting will take before return home to play.
Wallaceburg currently sport a record of 3-1-3 (W-T-L) and carry a two-game winning streak, returning to action Friday, June 22nd, when they travel to take on St. Marys. Their next home game will be Friday, July 6th, 7:00 PM at Kinsmen Park.