Late Match Drama Leads to Great Finish
Reading ties India U-16 National Team
Friday, July 25, 2008
CHARLESTON, WV – West Virginia Soccer International 2008 wrapped up the exposure and training tour for the India U-16 National Team with an exciting 2-2 draw against the United Soccer Leagues Super Y-League Reading Rage from Reading, Pennsylvania.
The highly anticipated match pitted a three time National Super Y-League Finalist against the undefeated India National Team. The international match would not be the first for the Reading Rage who previously defeated a Bermuda team that featured players from the Bermuda U-17 National Team, 2-0. India held an unprecedented 13 wins and one draw coming into the match over their pervious 14 matches that has spanned three continents and seven countries.
 India jumped out to the early lead in the 14th minute with a Prem Kumar (Namashahar, Punjab, India) goal. Kumar became the benefactor of a Malasawmfela “Fela” (Aizawl, Mizoram, India) challenge to Rage Goalkeeper Tim White. Fela went up for a header against White and won the challenge sending the ball to the waiting Kumar who sent the ball sailing into the back of the old onion bag giving India the lead.
The Rage would answer with a goal of their own just seven minute later when Kevin Mathews got a toe on a miss played ball and flicked it over the outstretched arms of 6’4” India keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. The teams would continue to battle in the midfield creating a number of chances but would go to the break deadlocked at one a piece.
The second period’s score line would be opened by Tirthankar Sarkar (Kolkata, West Bengal, India) in the 50th minute. Tirthankar would smash home a volley just inside the penalty area to put India on top 2-1.
The teams would battle against one another for the rest of the match looking for the decisive goal that would change the game. With just three minutes remaining The Rage nearly equalized when midfielder Kevin Mathews would get a through ball eluding the India defense leaving him with a one on one against India keeper Jayanta Paul (Kolkata, West Bengal, India). The shot would get by Paul only to have it cleared off the line by India Defender Tonmoy Gosh (Kolkata, West Bengal, India).
Just after the announcement of three added minutes, Kevin Mathews would get around the India defense and slide a pass across the box towards a host of Rage attackers. Rage front man Tyler Regan would finish the chance drawing the visitors level. Despite several more attacking chances neither team would break the draw through stoppage time ending the match level 2-2.
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