The Atlantic City FC battled the Philadelphia Lone Star FC in a divisional game on Saturday at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. A lot was on the line as the winner would be in sole possession of first place in the Keystone Conference.
Play began with both teams measuring up one another before Philadelphia organized a drive that would end early when they met the Aces’ wall of defense. The ACFC would then take charge and never look back. The scoring began when winger Jacques Francois rocketed one past Lone Star FC goalie Vincent Tasca to the back of the net to give the Aces a 1-0 lead in the thirteenth minute.
Then in the nineteenth minute, Forward Walter Calderon with an assist from Joao Brum, put another one in the back of the net to extend the Aces’ lead to 2-0. The Lone Star FC would get one back in the 35th minute when Anthony Allison cut the Aces’ lead to 2-1. The Aces would continue the offensive assault when Joao Brum was awarded a penalty kick after a red card was issued to Lone Star FC Thaimu Turay in the thirty-eighth minute. Brum converted the kick to give the Aces a 3-1 lead heading into halftime.
The Aces kept their foot on the pedal in the second half as Walter Calderon would collect his second goal of the game extending the Aces’ lead 4-1. The Aces defense led by Rich Balchan, Jonathan Firmino, Sebastian Capozucchi, and Charlie Livesey stopped forward momentum from the Philadelphia offense by tactfully forcing their opponent’s drives by cutting down angles and passing lanes.
Goalie Matt Perrella despite allowing one goal was spectacular and made some incredible saves during the rest of the game. He would coordinate the backline, making it difficult for the opposition to have scoring opportunities.
The Aces would continue their drive and extended their lead when Striker Alex Satrustegui in the 72nd minute made it 5-1. Four minutes later, Satrustegui would add one more to the scoring column in the 76th minute to put the Aces up 6-1. With these two goals, Satrustegui now has four goals for the season.
During the game frustration and undisciplined play led to three yellow cards being issued to Philadelphia as well as warnings issued for aggressive play on both teams. When the final whistle was blown, the ACFC had scored an impressive win with the final score being Atlantic City FC 6, Philadelphia Lone Star FC 1.
Joao Brum and Walter Calderon were named Men of the Match. With this win, the Aces now have sole possession of first place in the Keystone Conference with a 2-0 record. The Aces return to Egg Harbor Township High School Silver Eagle Stadium on Wednesday, May 29, 2019, at 6 pm against FC Monmouth.
