Troy United looked to capitalize on their first win of the season with another victory on Saturday at The Hawk. This would be Troy’s last home game of a three-game homestand, so the United players wanted to send their fans home with another win.
Troy faced off against AIM SC on this warm day at The Hawk. Both teams were within a point of each other in the standings, so this game was crucial for both teams if they wanted to keep moving up in the standings.
Troy started with the pressure early on in the 5th minute as Shane Renshaw crossed the ball beautifully to the feet of Nathan Boos, but the shot went inches over the bar.
Troy kept the pressure on as AIM SC couldn’t get anything going offensively. Another great opportunity came for Troy in the 20th minute as Waleed Cherif and Boos both put shots on net, but a double save from the AIM goalkeeper kept the game at 0-0.
Four minutes later, Cherif received a great cross that the AIM defender skied into the air, only for Cherif to come down with the ball again and put it into the back of the net, giving Troy a 1-0 lead.
No more than a minute later, Clayton Lafayette got through the AIM backline and had a great shot on goal, but the ball hit the post. Troy United kept getting opportunity after opportunity, as AIM couldn’t get anything started offensively.
Troy went into the half up 1-0.
Coming out of the break, it was just more of the same from the first half. Troy kept getting opportunities because AIM kept turning the ball over.
In the 50th minute, Boos received a great cross from Cherif; Boos streaked down the near side of the field and crossed it into the box. The ball landed perfectly at the feet of Lafayette, who put the ball easily in the back of the net. Troy United had a 2-0 lead.
AIM SC got their first real opportunity of the game in the 52nd minute, as the shot was destined to end up in the top corner of the net, but it was an outstanding save by Drew Swancutt, who was starting his first game for Troy, that kept the ball out of the net. The game was still 2-0 Troy.
In the 60th minute, Joshua Reyes crossed a lovely through ball that ended up with Brayden Stavros at the back post, and he put it in the back of the net to give Troy a 3-0 lead.
Sean Reardon hit the crossbar in the 72nd minute, and the ball ended up at Dante Grasso’s feet, who had a great shot on goal, but the shot was cleared off the line by an AIM defender.
The game slowed for most of the last 15 minutes, as Troy just wanted to protect a 3-0 lead and head home with the full three points.
Troy concedes a late penalty in the 87th minute. AIM converted the penalty, and it was now 3-1 Troy.
AIM was on the attack as soon as the game restarted after the goal, and in the 90th minute, AIM slipped the ball passed Swancutt to make it 3-2. All of a sudden, Troy getting the three points was in question.
Troy buckled down for the final two minutes of stoppage time and came out on top with a 3-2 victory. Troy has now won their last two games, getting a full six points, and no longer sit bottom of the table in the Great Lakes East division of the MWPL.
Troy United heads on the road next week to face off against Cedars FC on Wednesday, June 21, at Fordson High School in Dearborn. Kickoff is slated for 8 pm.
We are just under a month away from Troy United's first golf outing, which will be held on July 14 at 1:30 P.M. The fundraiser will be held at the Sycamore Hills Golf Club in Macomb, MI.
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