Thursday, June 14, 2012
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Laurie Calloway received an early birthday present on Thursday night.
The Des Moines Menace gave Calloway his record-setting 49th victory as the team’s head coach as the Menace edged the Springfield Demize, 1-0, at Cooper Complex. Calloway, who turns 67 on Sunday, passed Casey Mann as the franchise’s all-time wins leader.
The victory broke a tie between teams, who entered the night sharing second place in the PDL’s Heartland Division. Riding a four-match unbeaten streak, Des Moines (5-3-2, 17 points) now sits atop the standings – right above Thunder Bay (5-1-0, 15 points) and Springfield (4-3-2, 14 points).
“I’m very pleased to have been able to achieve the record,” Calloway said. “Hopefully there’s more to come.
“A good performance overall,” he continued. “We had to win. We really can’t lose any more games. That’s the most important thing, to be back in the mix in the league. The division this year is much more competitive. Springfield themselves have a very competitive team.”
Lebogang Moloto’s first goal of the regular season was enough to get the win. In the 13th minute, Moloto connected with Logan McDaniel on a back-and-forth exchange. Touching the ball skillfully around the goalkeeper, Moloto created a wide-open shot that he drilled into the net.
The win brings a dose of redemption for the Menace, after ending on the other side of a 1-0 match here on May 9. Des Moines is 12-1-0 all-time against Springfield and has outscored the Demize 41-4.
This is the first shutout win for Des Moines this season, which had allowed 12 goals in the first nine games of the PDL season. Goalkeeper Jhojan Obando, whose only other appearance this season came in the May 9 loss, picked up the clean sheet despite not making any saves. The Demize’s only shot struck the crossbar in second-half stoppage time.
“One of the few games I’ve been in where the goalkeeper didn’t make a single save,” said Calloway, who could recall coaching only one other match in which this happened. “It was a very satisfying night. We defended very well. Once they crossed the halfway line, we were able to win a lot of balls right back. The guys gave a lot tonight.”
Calloway is 49-17-12 in five seasons (2001-02 and 2010-present) as the Menace’s head coach. He is 229-158-47 in a coaching career that started in 1978. In 1996, he led the San Jose Clash to the first win in Major League Soccer history. In 2002, he guided the Menace to an undefeated regular-season and the PDL’s regular-season title.
Mann was 48-19-13 in five seasons as Des Moines’ skipper, from 2005 to 2009.
MR. B MAN of the MATCH: Lebogang Moloto, who is in third season with the Menace. The native of Polokwane, South Africa enters his senior year at Lindsey Wilson College, looking to bring the Blue Raiders their third NAIA title in four seasons.