Kitsap Pumas News Release -- www.kitsapsoccerclub.com
Thursday, June 28, 2012
BREMERTON, Wash. -- After a tough weekend which saw the Kitsap Pumas take one point from six, the club can ill afford another slip up this weekend. The Pumas host the Washington Crossfire at 7:30 p.m. PT on Friday, then welcome the North Sound Sea Wolves to town on Sunday at 3 p.m. PT. tickets for the games can be bought at Brown Paper Tickets or call the Pumas' front office at 360-377-6008.
Friday night's match is a big one for the Pumas as they need three points to reclaim their top spot in the division. Currently the Crossfire hold a two point lead over Kitsap thanks to their 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 on Wednesday night. It's also the game that could decide the Ruffneck Cup. Currently the Pumas hold a three-point lead with a perfect 4-0 record and a +9 goal differential.
But since their 3-0 win against Fraser Valley, the Pumas have been blanked in consecutive home games, a first for the club.
The Pumas will be without two players for Friday's game in midfielders Matt Friesen and Elliot Fauske. Friesen was lost to a knee injury while Fauske was awarded two yellow cards and ejected for a fight near the end of the game against the Victoria Highlanders. Friesen is one of the top goal scorers for the Pumas.
Manager James Ritchie said he thinks Friesen can return next week. He said defenders Zack Sampson and Danny Medina and forward Chris Bettencourt took part in practice Wednesday. Defender Taylor Hyde also took part in some light training Wednesday. He said their return is up in the air depending on how they do at Thursday's practice.
"We're still observing them; seeing where they're at, seeing if they're ready," Ritchie said. "I believe that they are competitors and they'll be ready to go. It couldn't have been a worse time for [Matt] to get hurt, but that's life. We deal with it, we man up, we go out there and we play and we see what happens."
He also said they won't worry about their recent drop in form.
"It's annoying," he said. "We're upset with how the way we played Sunday. We're a little bit frustrated with our situation, but it is what it is. We deal with it and move on. We'll have 11 players on the field and Crossfire will have 11 players on the field and the best team will win. We just need to go out and prove that it's us that is the best team."
The tight schedule also causes problems with getting enough recovery time for injuries, but Ritchie is confident the team will respond.
"I'm sure the boys will step up," he said. "They're rarin' to go. The subs are chewing at the bit 'cause they think they may get in and get a chance to prove themselves. One person's injury is another person's opportunity."
One of those opportunities may fall to new signing Zack Mahon, a midfielder/forward from San Antonio, Texas. He attended Longwood University, a Division I school in Farmville, Virginia.
"He's a fast player," Ritchie said. "He can play on the wing, he can play upfront. He's a smart player - he's got a lot of good traits about him. It's not going to be easy for him because he's going to be fighting for a spot, but it gives competition and competition is always good."
And Ritchie knows the team will respond to the challenges that lay ahead.
"The boys are resilient," he said. "They're a good bunch of lads. They work hard. They play hard. They're good players. We've had our challenges and any good team does. You just can't expect to go out there and walk through teams.
"The league is fantastically difficult. We knew that going into the season. We knew we had a lot of changes, too. We've done very well and we're going to keep fighting. It's unfortunate that we've got those injuries, but the league is still there to be won. Hopefully by the end of the season we'll be there to try to push for the number one spot."