The Orange County Bombers headed down the coast to San Diego to take on the Lions in their final game of the regular season on Saturday September 12. The venue was the Liberty Station field, a picturesque spot right by the harbor with views of downtown, and although it was a pleasant day temperature wise, a strong cross breeze kept conditions less than perfect and had an effect on the skills from both sides, which helped ensure a low scoring game.
Another reason was the pressure applied by both teams which made for a scrappy contest at times, but a tight and entertaining one nonetheless. The Bombers were missing a few of their stars, with the midfield particularly hit, while SD were always going to be a lot stronger at home than when these teams last met, and a big test was expected.
It was a tight contest from start to finish with the Bombers unable to shake the Lions although OC did lead at every change. Chris Stewart continued his good form, putting in a best on ground performance and booting 3 goals. Young ruckman Tyler Mounce already has one hand on the Rookie of the Year trophy after putting in his best game to date. He dominated the hitouts and followed up with some good possessions and a few fierce tackles. The clearances however were another story as San Diego’s midfielders took advantage of the absence of OC’s regular onballers, and got first use of the ball more times than not. The Bombers defense did a stellar job and managed to rebound on most occasions and kept the Lions score to a minimum. However the Lions defenders did likewise and goals were hard to come by, but OC spread the load well and managed a winning score with 6 goalkickers contributing to their 8 goal tally.
The Bombers went into 3 quarter time 4 goals up, and seemed to be pretty comfortable, but the Lions were far from done with. From the start of the fourth quarter they took the game over with Simon Shenk, Justin Valley and Brandon Blankenship leading the way. The first 10 minutes of the last quarter was dominated by the Lions as they slammed on 3 goals to draw within 5 points, before the Bombers finally settled and hit back with a goal from 2008 Rookie of the Year Adam Hale. Adam has missed the last 3 games with injury and he was a welcome sight back on the field, having a very good game and kicking a clutch goal when the pressure was on. Again the Lions threatened late in the game, but it was left to a first year player to seal it when Connor Marks kicked a beauty to finally put the Lions away.
While the Bombers stand-in midfielders were facing a bit of an onslaught, it was the leadership of captains Schulin and Shaholli as they rotated through the middle that turned the game in the Bombers favor deep into the last quarter. Their chasing and pressure when the Lions could smell an upset was inspirational, and the Bombers lifted across the ground, forcing the ball forward with sheer weight of numbers. When the dust settled it was OC by 13 points.
These two clubs have had some epic battles over the years, and while this game won’t be remembered for it’s scintillating skills, it will be remembered as a typically hard fought slog. Great preparation for both clubs as they look towards the Nationals in 4 weeks.
Final score: San Diego 7.5(47)Orange County 8.12(60)
Goalkickers OC- Stewart (3), Shaholli, McNeil, Hale, Lindley, Marks (1).
Best OC- Stewart, Irwin, Mounce, Shaholli, Lindley, Hale.
