First tastes of defeat for Premier team

Vlora’s Premier Division men’s team played two challenging games this week, traveling to play St. Croix Legends and hosting the Blackhawks, first and second in the Midwest-West.

St. Croix Legends

Wednesday’s game between St. Croix and Vlora offered both teams the chance to earn a statement win after both got off to strong starts. Both teams were unbeaten up to that point, with St. Croix having won all of their games.

The Legends of Stillwater would eventually prove too much for Vlora, winning 3-2 despite goals from Ibrahima Ndaw and Rodolfo Batisti to give Vlora a temporary lead. The game was not without some drama, as Vlora player Benjamin Peña was injured by a late high kick to his head from a St. Croix player during the game. The defender received a yellow card for the offense.

St. Paul Blackhawks

Vlora returned home two days later for a big matchup with the St. Paul Blackhawks, the only other team above them in the standings as of writing. This game proved different in tone than Wednesday’s goal fest. It was, instead, a battle of tight defending, high pressure offense, and narrow misses.

Vlora survived a frustrating first half that saw them struggle to move the box into the opposition half but tied 0-0, with the Blackhawks perhaps unlucky to not lead. Vlora made changes on either side of half time that also adjusted the tone of the game, bringing Deq Jama and Luis Mencia on before the break and striker Ibrahima Ndaw on after halftime. The changes helped Vlora break through some of the visitor’s high press and dense midfield, but Vlora continued to be held goalless even as the chances began to rack up.

The Blackhawks won the game with a goal for Kasdan Blattman, who curled a shot in from the top of the box to give the visitor’s a deserved goal after a strong performance in Burnsville. The night ended 1-0 to the St. Paul Blackhawks.