Security Forces finish Leftovers 5-2

The 72nd SFS headed off a brief comeback charge by TRS Leftovers to win their Sept. 21 intramural soccer match by three goals.

Security Forces Squadron struck first in the opening minutes when team co-captain/coach Omar Araujo passed to Dylan Finch, who scored with a short pop near the goal.            

The Leftovers later handed over a prime scoring opportunity after fouling an SFS player in the penalty area. Araujo (three goals total in the game) knocked in a short penalty kick for a 2-0 lead.

Finch (two goals total) scored next, single-handedly breaking through the center in Leftovers territory to score from about 10 yards out and seal a 3-0 lead in the middle of the first half.

The Leftovers’ defense stopped two separate shots on goal before being awarded a penalty kick about 10 yards out. The shot went wide right.

TRS got on the scoreboard just before the half when Dalton Smith shot a zinger from 12 yards away that bounced off the goalie’s hands into the net, making it 3-1.

Security Forces attacked first in the second period, but couldn’t convert two shots on goal before the Leftovers regained the ball in their own territory. Driving to the SFS goal, Smith got clear on the right wing and cross kicked to the center, where Antonio Simanella struck it in, making it 3-2.

The Leftovers kept up the offensive pressure with three more consecutive shots. Deep in Leftovers side, SFS’s Araujo later intercepted the keeper’s kick around 15 yards out, dribbled and scored to boost the lead 4-2.

The final goal occurred when the TRS keeper bobbled a kick by Araujo, who followed up on the opportunity for a score. 

After the game, Araujo said SFS’s good start broke down near the end of the first half with players getting tired with no subs available. The team “started losing balls in all sectors of the field which is when they narrowed the score,” he said. “As the time went on, I think they got tired too and that’s when we finished the game.”

Smith said the Leftovers are a new team this season and “still trying to get familiar with each other’s style of play. The more we practice together and the more games we play will help us discover the team’s strengths and weaknesses.”