Grab the Tacos and Run: EC sweeps ElRo Tournament

Ready for anything, we take the field against Cincinnati Christian on Friday, August 31. CCU is a more veteran outfit than the year before and we are too, starting 2 seniors (Evan Elko and Felipe Buitrago) and 7 juniors (Corey Campbell, Mike Nsoesie, Frank Mbayo, Tamru Taye, Alex Ferreira and Arsene Kabeya and Sam Embry in goal). Two firstyears have also made it into the opening day lineup (Feli Muyumba and Mussa Ibrahim). Our opponents are a bit bigger than we are and play a bit more direct style. We handle this well all day with Kumba (Frank M) and Mike doing their usual great job against taller opponents.

About 25 minutes in Feli is fouled about 30 yards out from goal and we have a free kick. Tamru steps up and tucks a bending ball over the keeper and under the crossbar for 1-0.Within 5 minutes a pass from

Felicien puts Corey in on goal from the left and Corey finishes under the advancing keeper for 2.

Minutes after that Evan Elko smacks a rebound goalward for a sure score until it hits our own player and stays out. I'd have bet their were more goals coming but the game settles into long periods of possession interrupted by long clearances and their occasional counter: 2-0 EC at the end. Sam Embry in goal has an excellent day coming out to catch crosses and the assortment of air balls sent his way.

We started Sunday knowing our match would be the championship decider after Millikin beat Anderson 2-0 on Friday. The threat of Hurricane Isaac remnants hung over us. The lineup was the same except Jacob Ebbs started in place of Felipe. We knew nothing about Millikin (first ever meeting) except that they were very young and coming off a couple of down years. We made a guess about their play that proved wrong from the start. They played a crafty, low pressure defense and looked to score on the break. We had made a point about keeping possession prior to the match and the first half became a dreary, slow moving affair with few chances for either side.

At halftime we decided we would have to force the play and we came out with pressure all over and that turned things more our way. Still, there was not a lot of goalmouth action except for a couple of volleys by Corey Campbell and a header off a corner by Tamru Taye. As time wore down, Isaac finally showed its face and sent a heavy shower our way for the final minutes. Huge rain drops came down for about 10 minutes as we survived a scary clearance by Frank Mbaya over our own crossbar and Sam Embry got down to his right to save one of Millikin's few late efforts.

Overtime began with the rain letting up and we continued to pressure as Millikin held on. Seven minutes in Alex Ferreira sent Felipe Buitrago in alone from our left and Felipe, at full speed, scoop/chipped Millikin's keeper and in to the far post for the golden goal. A stampede of EC players threatened to engulf our dimunitive Colombian as we celebrated a goal that was pure Barca/Messi---a golazo without being a rocket shot.

Our first win of the Raven-Quaker Classic since 2008 and a double with the women beating Capital 2-1 and Millikin 3-1 to win their side. We end the weekend with 2 clean sheets due in large part to the steady play of our center backs, Mike Nsoesie and Frank Mbaya and our ability to keep the ball.