PDL Game Report
Saturday, July 12, 2014
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – The Des Moines Menace accomplished what they needed, but not what they wanted.
After they rallied for a 1-1 draw with the St. Louis Lions, the Menace clinched the PDL’s Heartland Division title at Valley Stadium on Saturday night.
Needing just one point to seal the championship, the Menace got just that. Goal-scorer Rich Ballard and goalkeeper Paul Blanchette emerged as Saturday night’s heroes. In the running for the PDL’s regular-season title with three games left, the 9-1-1 Menace have clinched the franchise’s third division crown – its first in five years.
Des Moines will bring a sense of unfinished business into a busy last week of the season – Tuesday at Springfield and a Friday-Saturday home doubleheader against WSA Winnipeg.
“It’s a pretty huge accomplishment,” Ballard said of the division title. “We don’t stop here, though. We know we can win it all. We click so well off the field, it brings high spirits into our games. We’re all pushing each other; we’re all in it together.”
Blanchette preserved the draw with a pair of superhuman saves in the 76th minute. After making a miraculous, acrobatic stop of a curling shot going into the upper-corner of the far post, the goalkeeper scrambled back to paw away an effort on the goal line, after a lurking Lion thought he had the easy rebound volley.
“It’s definitely amazing, to be part of a division championship,” Blanchette said. “It’s mixed emotions, though. My mistake at the beginning cost us, and put is in that position. It’s a game we should have won.”
The Lions drew first blood in the 13th minute, pouncing on a miscue by the Menace’s normally reliable backline. Jordan Roberts collected a misplayed clearance, found some space and curled a 25-yard shot out of Blanchette’s reach. Entering tonight, the Menace had allowed just one goal at home, and the team had a 14-1 scoring advantage in the first half.
Ballard leveled the game with a strike to the left post. After receiving an cross from scoring leader Chris Hellmann, Ballard controlled the ball eight yards from the goal. With a touch on the outside of his left foot, he struck the ball cleanly into the net for his first Menace goal.
“Pretty happy, but wish we could’ve come back for the win,” said Ballard. “At least we tied it up.”
The title-sealing result keeps alive the Menace’s seven-match unbeaten streak. Head coach Mike Jeffries’ team is one win from sealing the Central Conference crown. The Menace will learn this week if the team will be hosting the opening weekend of the PDL Playoffs, July 25-27.
St. Louis, meanwhile, is still in the running for the division’s second and final playoff spot. The Lions (4-3-4) need at least a couple wins and one tie in their final three games.