Crowd of 11,171 Sees Annapolis Blues FC Best DMV Elite FC 6-2
By Sean Maslin/NPSL.com
After a sensational first season, many wondered how the Annapolis Blues could top their incredible attendance marks from 2023. In their opening match, the club showed that their freshman year was no fluke in the stands and on the pitch. Thanks to11,171 fans and supporters in attendance, the Blues defeated DMV Elite FC 6-2 to earn their third victory of the season.
Midfielder Toshi Davis led the attacking charge, scoring a brace in the second half while adding an assist on the go-ahead goal from Rich Monath in the 40th minute. Matthew Helfrich added a fourth midway through the second half, while William Hitchcock and Alex Abril finished the night off with two goals in extra time.
Although Annapolis ended up with a strong scoreline, they faced some challenges early on. Thanks to DMV Elite FC employing a high line, the home team’s efforts at breaking through were largely stymied thanks to defender Colin Pendergrast. The rising sophomore out of George Washington University made multiple key clearances, including a cross in by forward Brady Geho in the 21st minute.
But Geho and the Annapolis attack continued to force the question up top with the forward linking up with his former Pipeline SC teammates Rich Monath and Ben Madore to finally open up the DMV defense. They nearly came away with their opening goal in the 34th minute after Monath slid a clever right-footed pass into the box for Madore. But his effort just missed connecting with the Penn State striker, keeping the score level.
After coming close to taking the lead, Monath opted for the more direct approach a few minutes later, collecting a pass from Davis and hitting a low strike into the back of the net.
The Blues left little to chance in the second half with Davis continuing to take charge in the attacking third. He hammered home a right-footed volley to push the lead to 2-0 in the 55th minute. The American University midfielder extended their lead to three, hitting a high curling effort from just inside the 18-yard box just a minute later. Their scoring barrage was capped by Helfrich knocking home a low strike into the near left corner.
DMV made things interesting late, scoring twice to cut the lead to 4-2. Their first goal came in the 70th minute after Fabian Amhof headed home a cross. He coolly placed the header towards the far post, just beyond the reach of Annapolis goalkeeper Saxon Wolcott. Dewi Benham added a second goal in the 74th minute, breaking past the Annapolis defense and slotting home the low effort past the goalkeeper.
But Annapolis continued to dominate in terms of attacking, snagging two late goals from substitutes Hitchcock and Abril, ending any chance of a DMV comeback.
The Blues (4-0-0, 12 points) will look to continue their winning ways next week when they host the Alexandria Rough Diamonds at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium on Friday, June 7. Meanwhile, DMV Elite FC (2-0-2, 6 points) will look to move up the table as they play FC Frederick on the road on Saturday, June 8.
Photo Credit: Sean Maslin/NPSL.com
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