Courtesy: Marianas Variety


Crushers F.C. dominate Genesis 12-1 in playoffs

Thursday, 23 July 2009

by John Wesley Jr.

The minute the Crushers F.C. took the court yesterday at Astumbo gym, it was clear that they were determined to advance to the next round of the Guam Football Association Men’s Futsal League playoffs.

Behind an all-around team performance, the Crushers F.C. defeated Team Genesis 12-1 to advance to the semifinals.

The Crushers’ offensive attack was aided by several great performances including four goals by Shawn Spindel, a hat-trick by Scott Spindel and superior efforts by the team’s goalies who almost shutout Genesis.

“We didn’t play too well tonight,” said Genesis player Abdulkarim Albajal. “Our defense was not good and I give credit to the Crushers because they have a very strong offense. Now we will just have to concentrate on getting better for the outdoor league.”

Team Genesis had the first opportunity to get on the scoreboard, but Ben Young couldn’t connect on a penalty kick that just missed its mark.

That shot would be the closest the team got to a goal in the first half as the Crushers turned up the heat, pressuring Genesis for the rest of the first half. Genesis goalie Cody Ott was kept busy as the Crushers reeled off shot after shot. Shawn Spindel was the first Crusher to find the back of the net, connecting on his team’s first two scores, both of which came off deflections by Ott.

Scott Spindel would later put the Crushers up 3-0 when he guided the ball through two defenders for a tap-in score in front of the goal. Minutes later the lead stretched to 5-0 after two goals by the Crushers’ Bem Mairu.

The Crushers went on to score three more goals in the first half, giving them a comfortable 8-1 lead heading into the second half.

The pace of the game slowed down considerably in the second, but that didn’t stop the Crushers from adding to their lead. Both Shawn and Scott Spindel knocked in one goal apiece in the half, while Joseph Ichull had back-to-back scores for the Crushers, bringing their team total to 12.

The Crushers used their deep roster to keep fresh legs on the court and keep Genesis from mounting a comeback. Genesis fought hard all the way to the final whistle, but they only scored one goal.

“We have a lot of young, up-and-coming players on our team,” said the Crushers’ Joseph Ichull, “I think it was our speed that made the difference tonight. We play fast and we play together.”

Results from the other three quarterfinal playoff matches were unavailable as of press time. Playoff action continues on Sunday with semifinals.

Top Performers

Crushers F.C.
Shawn Spindel - four goals
Scott Spindel – hat-trick
Joshua Bordallo – 8 Saves

Team Genesis
Abdulkarim Albajal (Ali) – goal
Cody Ott – 17 saves







Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com