It took a goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time for the Thunder men’s soccer team to beat the Fleming Knights on Oct. 1.
Marco Natoli took the winning free kick to make the score 2-1 after the Knights gave up a late foul just outside their own 18-yard box.
“I needed to score,” said Natoli about what was going through his head as he prepared for the kick. “When I hit it, I thought ‘That’s going in’.”
The goal was his sixth of the season as the Thunder improved to 5-0 on the season.
Algonquin took its first lead of the game a minute into the second half, courtesy of Anthony Legendre. The goal came after a tough fought first half in which the Thunder had difficulty getting their rhythm going. It was not the start they had wanted as the Knights were in control of the game early.
“At half-time, the message was to wake up and play how we play,” said head coach Mike Gagliano. “I asked them if they were ready to play.”
The pep talk seemed to spark the players as they came out strong in the second half. However, a 55th minute Fleming goal by Josh Penello put the teams back into a deadlock. From there, it looked as though the Knights were happy to play for the single point for the tie, often keeping 10 of their players behind the ball anytime Algonquin took possession.
“It’s tough when they are defending for the tie,” said Thunder captain Toni El-Asmar. “It was an obstacle we haven’t really faced yet this season. We had to figure out how we were going to break them down.”
It was not the level of play that the Thunder expected of themselves.
“It’s us not executing,” said Gagliano. “I think there are certain points and patterns that we’ve gone over in training that aren’t happening in a game environment.”
The Thunder have a quick turnaround as they play their next game on Oct. 5, travelling to Kingston to take on the St. Lawrence College Vikings before returning home on Oct. 8 to face Cambrian.