Photos courtesy of @brettballachino
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Despite playing in the rainy weather and being down four minutes into the match, FC Buffalo got into the win column at the front end of Saturday’s men’s and women’s doubleheader at Robert Rich Sr. All-High Stadium with a 5-2 win over Kings Hammer FC as Sean Hallas’s squad, now 4-3-2 in the 2024 USL League Two season, boost their chances of clinching a playoff spot.
Kings Hammer took the lead four minutes into the game. A giveaway from the FCB defense allowed an unmarked Alen Kapic from inside the penalty box to tap the ball into the goal.
The Wolves got the equalizer as a corner kick that couldn’t get past the first man landed for Ashton Jell as he crossed the ball back into the box, where Ander Castillo knocked it toward the heart of the 18. Inside the penalty area, Landon Hungerford once again haunted Kings Hammer’s defense as he leaped to head the ball into the net in the 19th minute.
Hungerford scored his second goal of the season; both came against Kings Hammer. Castillo also picked up his third assist of the season.
The blue and gold recouped from the first four minutes as Diego Rivera, from the left flank, delivered a pinpoint chip pass towards Castillo, who nodded the ball past goalkeeper Chad Smith for the 2-1 lead in the 41st minute. Rivera also got his first start this season with FCB.
Castillo scored his tenth USL League Two goal, twelve in total for the 2024 season.
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Fabian Overkamp extended the lead by two goals as a perfect corner kick from Timo Jansen landed to the German defender, who thudded the ball home with his right foot in the 64th minute.
Five minutes later, Jansen, from the right corner of the top of the box, would convert on a free kick, placing the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
Jansen scored his second goal of the season and now leads the team in assists with four. He was also named tonight’s The Martin Group’s Man of the Match.
FCB and KHFC exchanged goals before the end of the match as Canadian forward Nico Stoddart scored his second goal of the season to give his team the 5-1 lead in the 79th minute, picking up Calum Newson’s flick of goalkeeper Andreas Kokoska’s ambitious long pass. KHFC’s Brock Kiper would score a consultation goal just a minute later.
Hallas’s squad will end the season playing their final two of three 2024 USL League Two games at All-High Stadium, beginning with a rematch with Cleveland Force for a 7 pm Tuesday kickoff. Then, two days later, the Wolves head to Toledo Villa for a 7 pm kickoff.
The blue and gold play their final game of the season at All-High when they face Dayton Dutch Lions for a 6 pm kickoff on July 13.
FC Buffalo’s women’s team will play FC Berlin later at 7 p.m. to end tonight’s doubleheader at All-High.
[ RELATED: 2024 Men’s Stats ]
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