Wallaceburg Sting Advance to Premier Cup Final
Photo by HT Photography
Croatia came out of the gate ready to play, controlling possession and flow of the game. But it was the Sting, however, that got on the board first, with a quick strike down the right wing. Mike Foster played a ball down the wing to striker Kyle Allaer, who then whipped the ball into the goal area. Sting midfield, Mark Foster, brother of Mike, took a soft touch before putting the ball past the Croatian keeper, for a 1-0 lead.
Croatia continued their attack and after heavily pressuring the Sting atop their 18-yard box, tied the game when an attacker found space and buried a shot from in close. This could have been a momentum changer, and the Croatians believed it would be so, but the Sting didn’t come to concede that easy.
Only minutes later, Sting central defender, Kurtis Lubbers found space near midfield and feathered a ball down the left wing to midfield, Paul Craven. Paul, like Allaer earlier, whipped the ball into the goal area, finding his twin, Matt Craven, who one-touched a volley beyond the keeper’s reach and into the net. The Sting took their 2-1 lead into the half.
It was the Sting striking first in the game’s second half, when Matt Craven found enough space to put home his second marker of the game and give Wallaceburg a 3-1 advantage.
From there, London Croatia began to lose their composure, sliding in late on tackles and playing a more dirty style, leading to several yellow cards. One player was ejected from the pitch when, after being cautioned with his first yellow for a tackle, subsequently kicked the ball at a Sting player as he walked away in disgust and received a second yellow.
This gave the Sting more space and control on the field with the man advantage, leading to several quality chances to put the nail in the coffin. These attempts weren’t successful, however, and Croatia began to bring extra men forward in attempt of a late-game rally. With approximately fifteen minutes remaining, Croatia got control of the ball, and sent a quick ball behind the Sting defensive line. Their striker went in alone on the keeper and cut their deficit in half, 3-2.
Croatia continued to mount heavy pressure to try and force extra time, but the Sting held tough defensively. Sting keeper, Sam Youlton, made a game-saving, finger-tip save in the final minutes and the Sting held on for a 3-2 victory.
The Sting have now won 5 straight games – quite a feat for a small town team in the Premier division. The Wallaceburg Sting will now play AEK in the Premier Cup Final on Thursday, August 29, in London at the Hellenic Centre. Kick-off is set for 8:30 PM.
Their next home game will be Thursday, August 8 vs. the London Croatia team whom they upset in the cup semis. Kick-off at Kinsmen Park is set for 6:45 PM.