It was a beautiful evening Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019 at Hudson Sports Complex. The Fall air was fresh and there was an energy across the Complex which was infectious. Just several years ago, the grounds were a place to house prisoners, but on Saturday, we were hosting families looking to enjoy a night of quality soccer and camaraderie with their friends and strangers alike! It was also a very special evening because Club President, Christian Fuchs, and his family took in the match with all the other fans. Christian even held a Meet & Greet prior to the match!
We are so pleased to have hosted the VERY FIRST professional soccer match in Warwick, NY! Your FSA PRO Foxes spent several months preparing for this very moment. Numerous tryouts, getting acquainted with new teammates as well as coaches, and going through some grueling training sessions all led up to their 1st ever United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) match vs. REAL NY FC.
It was a historic night as 300+ fans made their way into the "Fox Den" which we are so grateful for and can't wait to build upon! The energy from the supporters certainly played a massive role on the Foxes overall performance, especially during the first half.
FSA PRO came out blazing, controlling the majority of the possession right out of the gate. The ball was moving left to right and their spacing was class. It was very impressive to see how well the communication and quality of play was from the lads as this was the first full-match as a unit.
It didn't take long for the Foxes to get on the score sheet either. Christian Henry, a notable fan favorite, made moves down the right wing where combination plays led to a cross towards the goal mouth...the ball found the feet of Sebastian Lopez who finished it into the back of the net at the 12th minute! A well-deserved goal as the Foxes dominated the opening minutes with several chances.
REAL NY FC didn't falter after the goal, however, as they had a couple chances of their own during the first half. They had a strong defensive line and midfield who were able to build their offense from the back which eventually began to tire the Foxes. At the half though, your Foxes held the lead at 1-0.
Coach Michael Holzer and Coach Adam Lloyd gave the squad a great talk at the half and made some strategy as well as tactic changes. The boys new if they could get the second goal, especially right away to start the next 45, that this game could easily be won. Unfortunately, that second goal never came for the Foxes.
As the night sky fell upon us, it seemed so did the Foxes play. They continued to play hard, but the match became a classic tale of two halves. REAL NY's experience and togetherness really began to show about 15 minutes into the second half. They started to take some of the possession away from FSA PRO and were able to put a lot of pressure across the entire pitch. Some slight injuries for the Foxes also forced the squad to make some changes in key positions that may have disrupted the flow of the match.
REAL NY leveled the score at the 65th minute. The Foxes made a slight mess of a clearance and REAL was able to take full advantage. The play started with a ball from the center circle to about 25 yards out where they then played a cheeky flick on the ground. The pass found a wide open player who had plenty of space to nail it into the back left corner of the net from about 20 yards out. Momentum of the match had now changed. Not 10 minutes later, REAL NY took the lead on a shot from 30+ yards out...nothing our goalie could've done.
Your Foxes continued to battle all the way until the end, but we just couldn't get that second goal. The final whistle blew with the score ending in a 2-1 loss. So many of the Foxes had wonderful appearances and at the end of the day, the squad played together as a true team.
Coach Holzer was very proud of his team's effort stating, "We played a very good first half. We created 7 or 8 big chances and scoring a great goal going into the half was a big confidence boost. The only real negative part of the match was that we missed too many chances." Coach went on to add, "REAL's two great strikes from far distance were really the only chances they had the entire match. It was a cruel way to lose in front of so many amazing fans in such a great atmosphere."
It was evident how pleased Christian and the coaching staff were at the end of the match despite the loss. Improvements need to be made for sure, but the effort was there. Coach Holzer's final statement was, "We will build on the first half and are excited to host Mass United FC next week. They're a very strong team and led the conference with 21 out of a total 24 points in the Spring. It will be a great game to watch for all the fans so they can see top-class soccer in Warwick."
You can purchase tickets for this weekend's game by using this link. We hope to see you at the Fox Den on Sept. 14 so you can come cheer on your Foxes! Doors open at 4:30PM!
