The perfect way to overcome such a previous week ...
Tire overcomes deficit to win late

SEATTLE (Jan. 29)—Dramatic late goals kept spectators on their seats’ edge but it was FC Spare Tire who only trailed for seven minutes and ultimately came out on top 3-2 over Summit FC in a cold and at times rainy early morning game at Magnuson 7.

The loss was SFC’s first of the season and allows Tire to jump above Summit into the top four with a game in hand.

Going into it, SFC led all D2B teams with 13 goals for after three games. Last week, Summit drew 2-2 with Hello World FC.

In their previous matchup, SFC beat Tire 4-2 on May 8, 2011 at Magnuson 6 (23 games ago). Tire played down a few players in that one and fell to the team that would go on to win the spring 3A championship.

For this one, Tire welcomed back midfielder Brian Speir, appearing as in-shape as ever despite his admission of three months of rust, fresh off a nine-game hiatus. But pre-game minutes looked dicey. SFC sported three players at the game’s scheduled start time and within five minutes would get to a kickoff total of nine. Tire would enjoy extra space in theSummithalf to have a couple looks on goal. Forward Brandon Smith crossed a beauty to mid Tim Farley who popped it in for the score—and it would have counted had Farley not been 10 yards offside.

Summit would gain a full side within five minutes of the start, and at the time Tire regretted not being able to do more with the advantage. Will a full 11,Summitdid what it's known to do—it worked the ball up the field well, with pace and determination.

Keeper Shelby Dobbs redeemed himself from the final goal allowed in the previous game. A foul just outside the box around the same spot as in the FC Great Wall game allowed Dobbs to set up his wall and himself in a better position. When the direct free kick was taken, Dobbs was there this time to punch the ball away—something he would have liked to have done a week earlier.

But just seven minutes in, SFC lit the scoreboard from distance and help from the wind at their backs. A right-side SFC corner kick was played short, then back to the kick-taker, who touched ahead with his left. The right-side defender then looked up and swung a curler to the left post; Dobbs was there and ran up to meet it, but he over-ran it. He mis-judged the ball’s speed and wind aid and it carried over his head into side netting for the score.

“That just sucked,” Dobbs sighed. “It just got up into the wind and just hung there. I had a good beat on it once it came off his foot. It was in the box, and I had to go try to get it, but it just hung up and pushed it right into the goal, so, oh well ...”

Tire was able to pull the goal back about seven minutes later. With an SFC player on the sideline nursing an injury, FCST was able to take advantage. After pressing the issue on other opportunities, a scrum in a crowdedSummitbox allowed a Doug Hodson cross deflect off players before dropping to Smith three yards away at the back post. He punched it in from three yards out with Karl Schmidt given the official assist.

The goal was Smith’s team-leading third of the season and 39th all-time, which brings him back into a tie for seventh place team all-time with Scott Strasser.

Tire had a chance to take the lead when another Hodson cross came to mid Casey Antoncich at the back stick; his shot on goal at an angle clanked low off that near post. The follow-up was turned away.

Tire also had good looks from defender Phil Burger, though his shot sailed high, as well as Mike Gill-More (lefty turn fell short) and Speir, who’s near-first touch of a ball in the box could have been a score had the keeper not arrived a second earlier to it.

Summit would enjoy a 60-40 possession advantage in the half and out-corner-kicked Tire six to three. Each defense was there to create turnovers or block shots; Dobbs made two nice point-blank saves at the far post to deny aSummitlead going into the intermission.

“We’re having our chances,” mid Scot Rogers said at the break. “Unlucky break for Shelby. That ball kind hung up there in the wind, even though he was a little out of position. But it’s pretty evenly matched.”

“It’s cold, wet ... anybody’s chance in this game,” voiced defender Scott Strasser. “We’re playing like crap, they are too—and I’m surprised ’cause they’re a better team than they are showing. We’re just getting a little sloppy out there, me included; we just gotta settle it down, do some more passing, mark up a little better and I think we can take these guys.”

“It’s nice being tied at half instead of being down three to nothing,” Dobbs admitted. It’s happened to Tire four times in the past year. “It was an OK half; we’re giving them a lot up the middle it seems like.”

Tire would go with the wind in the second, half—even though there wasn’t much of it. TheSummitmidfield made its presence known in that area, so the majority of Tire breaks came along the wings. Gill-More had two straight chances carrying up the right sideline, and Hodson had a few too.

But Tire was able to steal a goal around the 66th minute when players were in the right place at the right time. A Tire offensive chance was thwarted in theSummitbox, but mid Scott Strasser was there to get a foot to an errant touch for the steal. He immediately passed to teammate Karl Schmidt who had space to wind up and rip lefty a low blast to the far corner for the score.

Schmidt’s last was in the 3-2 win over Old Ballz United on Oct. 9, 2011—the same day Speir made his last Tire appearance. Schmidt has scored seven all-time for Tire.

Tire was now armed with a one-goal lead and 24 minutes to play. A few more chances arose, but standing well defensively was the order of the day. As the clock ticked,Summitbegan to feel more urgency to score, and physical play in the Tire half was the result.

Things got a little chippy between players around the 75th minute—Schmidt, No. 3, was at the heart of it when he felt he was hacked, grabbed and pulled while controlling a dribble. He was accused of doing the same earlier. Schmidt even pulled himself from play to avoid a yellow. When Scot Rogers was fouled hard by a player, he asked why. “That’s for No. 3,” he said.

Shortly upon returning to the field, a rough play near the center circle ended up as a yellow shown to Schmidt—his first since week three of fall.

Just as Tire players wondered if a 2-1 win could be possible, aSummitmidfielder had a different answer. Unable to get the ball out of its end, a Tire clear came to the player who took a few touches and blasted a righty shot to the far left post. It carried perfectly and hit net next; Dobbs was more than an arm’s length away from getting to it. The goal was Dobbs’ 80th allowed in division 2 and 299th all-time.

And then, the magic.

Three minutes later, a foul not far from the half line allowed Strasser to step to it like he has of late, and drive a ball into the mixer. His approach was flawless and the strike fantastic as it sailed into the box. Among the bodies, Mike Gill-More was there to put a head to it, and it barely skimmed him … but as it did, the ball kept carrying, and low and into the net past the diving keeper it went.

“A nice ball in from Scotty,” Gill-More praised. “I was thinking to hit it to the far post ’cause, you know, far post and guys are gonna be there, but I fall down, look up and it’s going to near post! We’ll take it!”

The goal was Gill-More’s first since Oct. 23 vs. Sea-Town United and 183rd all-time.

Since 2008, Tire averages three wins per year after conceding the first goal (around 20 times per).

“Late game heroics and good subbing,” mid Casey Antoncich summed.

“We played well,” defender Jim Stern commended. “We moved around a lot, and we adjusted to their speed up front. We started going to the ball and started winning them it seemed like, so ... we just didn’t give them the game. They got a couple good shots from out far there, but in general, we beat them to the ball to not give them much. We’ll take it.”

“It was a good matchup,” mid Kelly Antoncich said. “We played a lot better than we did last week; we moved well without the ball today and had some good talking.”

“A lot better second half,” Strasser said. “I thought we started passing the ball and slowing it down, we had some shots ... theirs was a lucky goal—it was a great shot. I just got lucky on that takeaway and Karl was there to finish it. And the free kick—just aiming for the far post as always ... and Gilly skims it with his head. We’ll take the win.”

“Good game,” Don Gill-More said. “Tough for those guys, no subs, but it would’ve been disappointing to tie with as many opportunities we had in the second half. So the win was nice.”

“Those guys were fast,” brother Mike said. “You think you had them beat through, and all of a sudden there's another guy coming, it's like Damn! These guys are fast! They keep coming! But we did enough, we scrapped, it was a good Tire victory.”

“Scrappy win, we’ll take it,” mid Doug Hodson said. “I think we earned it in the second half. I mean, those guys are a good team and if they had a full squad with subs it may have been a different story. We kept rotating, kept the pressure on in the second half. Scrappy win—a good header by Mikey in the end—we needed that. We earned the points.”

“It was a good win,” Speir said. “They shouldn’t have gotten that other goal, but we deserved the win either way. I thought we outplayed ’em in the second half.”

“I’m feeling really good about that win,” defender Leo Berk said. “We weren’t 100 percent out there, but we had our moments and good goals. That last goal was just delicious. It was served up perfectly.”

“It was a great win,” Smith said. “I was givin’ up there at the end. I thought we were settling for a draw, and Mike gets his head on a ball—I felt like we should’ve won the way we were beating them in the second half, but that’s a great way to win that game.”

Summit went 5-5, good for a fourth place playoff seed in division 2B this past fall. Tire is now 2-1 all-time with Summit FC with 10 goals for and eight allowed.

GAMENOTES: 

• FCST wins three-quarters of all games in which Mike Gill-More scores.
• Tire’s three games with Summit have all been played at Magnuson fields.
• FCST is 44-45 all-time in one-goal games.
• The win is Tire’s first at Magnuson 7 (1-3-2); at the two fields, all-time Tire is 3-7-2.
• Additionally, the win is Tire's second one-goal win out of 34 D2 games played (eight total wins).