On a clear, sunny morning on Saturday the 18th, 3United drew the Azzurri for an early 9am game. The Azzurri were coming off a long string of wins and high-level play and 3U knew that despite having had good performances against them in the past, this was going to be no walk in the park.

3U kicked off into the wind, with their backs’ to the sun and the Azzurri raring to get on the scoreboard. The game started with 3United on the defensive, with the Azzurri dominating possession. However, the 3United defense was brilliant and was able to keep the Azzurri held in the midfield for most of their possession. They dealt with all attacks and once the ball was won back, 3United would launch their counterattacks upon the Italians lines. They saw many good passing runs that led to a few dangerous looks on goal, but in the end they weren’t able to put any daring shots on goal. This back and forth lasted the entire half and despite having only about 30-35% ball possession, the 3United team never let up, playing their hearts out. The first half finished with a nil-nil scoreline.

A few muscle pulls left the 3United team short on subs but this didn’t stop hinder their energy or their want to win. Collin Cunning, 3U keeper was solid all day picking up loose balls and distributing throws and kicks all over the pitch. About 15 minutes into the second half, Cunning smashed a dropkick punt deep into Azzurri territory in the path of Nick Law, who made a perfect run onto the ball, which had bounced dangerously over a defender. Law took a few quick touches into the box to take the keeper one on one, locked onto the space between the keeper and the near post, then slammed it into the back of the net. 3U, the underdogs, were up 1-0. Knowing there was a good half hour left to play, they knew this was nowhere near to over. The Azzurri renewed their attacks, pulling more people into offensive positions trying to even the scoreline. The Azzurri were much more dangerous in the second half, seeing a few hit posts and some acrobatic saves from the 3U keeper but in the end it was the 3United defense who won the battle. Not a single ball was given up without a fight and not a single was taken without 2 or 3 players pressuring the play. This hardwork paid off when the final whistle blew and the score remained unchanged, giving 3United a well-fought-for win. The final score was: 3United 1, Azzurri 0.

Man of the match honors for 3United: Collin Cunning