Fall Saturdays are always great, but even better when your Spartans can put on a show for all to see. Less than 48 hours after their last game, the boys were ready for what could arguably be one of the most important games of the regular season, against the St. Thomas Academy Cadets. Played in the sweltering heat at St. Thomas stadium on a turf field, the game was sure to be incredibly intense. The Cadets came in fresh off a last minute win against third ranked Simley confident that they would win, but our boys were hungry and would be sure to give them a run for their money. It was evident that the Spartans really wanted the game when Juniors Josh "Slim Shady" Gray and Ben "the Good German" Kachian decided to try to play through their injuries.
Before I get started I would just like to mention that Miley Cyrus was on the warmup mix of the Cadets..........
In the blistering heat the game began well balanced and it seemed that it would stay deadlock on 0-0 for a while, that is until the Spartans brought out the spears. On a wonderful play around twenty minutes in, Gabe "G-Unit" Brennaman ever so gracefully chipped a ball up in the air for Lorenzo "Cappucino" Pavoloni who sent it to the back of the net with a glancing header. Spartans 1-0 Cadets. However the Cadets did not give up and surely enough before the half made a run down the line and managed to tie the game up Spartans 1-1 Cadets.
At halftime the boys agreed on the fact that they needed to get their stuff together and went out into the second half pumped and ready finish them off, however it would not be as easy as they would think because the Cadets would score at the beginning of the second half to take the lead 2-1. A truly disappointing start to the second half.
No worries though because thanks to incredible fan support for Spartan Nation's Die-Hard Hooligans, led by the Spartan, the boys were re-inspired. On a counter attack Gabe "G-Unit" Brennaman managed to do it again, this time assisting Sam "Golden Boy" Forsgren. 2-2. And now you could really hear the SPA fans cheering their boys on. At this moment is when I believe the Cadets figured out they could not handle us and decided to start talking and this Saturday afternoon game turned into a war. Every ball was fought for, every last breath was used, and less than five minutes later Josh "Slim Shady" Gray managed to give the Spartans a 3-2 lead with an opportunistic strike from inside the box! The Spartans were really feeling it now, in what was sure to become an instant classic of the young season, however the Cadets were not feeling it so much and it showed when one of their players tried to pull a cheap shot on Skipper Nico "Swan" Olson Studler. The kid came in reckless from behind and could have seriously injured Studler and immediately Nico would not allow his team to be bulied around, so he stood up looked the kid in the eyes and shoved him to the ground, then preceded to push his head down. Nico was subsequently red carded but he gave fire to the team, now they wanted it even more. The only thing was that the Swan retaliated against the wrong player.........
The Spratans would have to only play the game with ten players for the rest of the game and there were still 30 minutes left. Only a few moments later things somehow got worse with Slim Shady picking up a hard knock on a fifty fifty ball in the air, he had to be rushed off the field and was taken to the ER. However after a few X-Rays and the use of an IV, he was cleared and hopefully will be good to go soon.
Thanks to incredible fan support however, the guys kept fighting and sure enough on a counter attack (yet again) Gabe "G-Unit" Brennaman finished spectacularly to give the Spartans a 4-2. A goal with ten men. Remarkable. The Cadets kept their frustration up and it only helped the Spartans defend harder. The Spartans kept their composure and were able to defend the lead until five minutes from the end when the Cadets brought one back 4-3, but that would not discourage the Spartans because we are fighters. We are not Cadets: Trainees to become officers in the military. The boys managed to successfully keep the lead and come out of Mendota Heights with a well earned victory. A true test of Character.
Thanks to the fans for making this so memorable. A true battle. A classic fight, that seemed like it would never end. And another Spartan victory, your boys are now 6-1. When you see your Spartans in the upcoming days be sure to congratulate them, be sure make sure you attend their games because a team like this does not come around too often.
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