Third game . . . exactly the same pattern

Last night's game between Whitby Purple and Whitby Maroon followed the script of previous games almost to a "T": Maroon ran rings around Purple for the first half, then was obliterated in the second half. At the end of the first 45 minutes of play, the 1-0 score flattered Purple, as Maroon should have converted at least three more attempts. Purple had managed a few shots, but had wasted all of the set-piece opportunities (five corners, only one of which threatened the Maroon keeper).

One very scary moment near the break, as Chris A. was kicked in the face and went down like he'd been poleaxed . . . I lost my cell phone as I ran out onto the field to tend to him. He thought he could continue, but I made sure he really was back to normal before I let him resume play. Fortunately, he'd only been a bit shaken up, with no serious damage done.

The second half started with Maroon still keeping up the pressure, going up 2-0 after about the 50th minute. Then the tide turned. Andrew S. broke the drought a few minutes later, followed by the first of two by Mitchell B. Anthony C. added a goal and then Mark M. got his first goal of the season, for a final score of 5-2 in Purple's favour.

After the game was over, the referee made some notations on the official game sheet, renaming the teams to "Deep Purple" and "Red Bull". I have no idea why. Oddly enough, Dylan M., Purple's small but speedy defender has been dubbed "Red Bull" by his teammates on the sidelines, and he was getting regular encouragement whenever he was on the field.