(Photo by Brandon Chiarmonte)
The FC Buffalo Reserves suffered through the wet conditions the First Team felt Friday, but couldn’t fight through travel issues in a cold and bitter 3-2 BDSL Championship loss Sunday to Queenston FC (2-0-0) at Fort Niagara Park.
Poor driving conditions across Western New York, long travel and injuries combined to have the Reserves (0-1-1) starting the match short-handed in 39-degree Youngstown, falling down 1-0 in the 15th minute while down two men.
A nice link-up between Mate Tarr (D’Youville College // Forro, Hungary) and Stephen Acheampong (D’Youville College // The Bronx, N.Y.) leveled the score 10 minutes later on the latter’s chip of the Queenston keeper.
After another 10 minutes, the Reserves took a 2-1 lead when Tarr found Omar Sundi (Erie Community College // Buffalo, N.Y.) for the Grover Cleveland product’s first goal as a Blitzer.
Queenston earned a penalty in the early stages of the second half, but Sundi earned a return penalty moments later. Unfortunately, he sent the ball over the frame. The air came out of the tires and a defensive lapse put the home side up, 3-2. A red card to Queenston — featuring players from Fredonia State, Buffalo State and St. John Fisher College amongst other schools — opened the gates for the Reserves, but the equalizer never came. Queenston locked down and deserves full marks for surviving the red.
“We were attacking had a lot of chances, just didn’t chose the right moves,” Tarr said. “We should have won.”
The Reserves now face two games in three days beginning with Thursday’s road Tehel Cup match against Elbow Soup FC at 6:30 p.m. inside the West Seneca Soccer Complex. Then it’s back to the BDSL Championship slate with a home game at Park School versus Wolfpack at 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 19.
Coach Hector Vasquez will have reinforcements soon with D-I defender Eric Colon-Gonzalez close to returning from a pesky hip injury and playmaker Josh Binfield nearing his return from Manhattan College. The team will also add a name or two to the mix as Vasquez looks to add depth.
“Full marks to Queenston and their manager John Netter who could’ve easily ignored our travel concerns and instead spent the moments up to kickoff trying to direct some of our players to the field via Twitter, text and phone,” said FCB co-owner Nick Mendola.
Email: wolf@fcbuffalo.org
