HAMBURG, Ark. – A stunning 30-yard free kick from Oscar Perez with only two minutes left in regular time delivered Warren a massive point on the road at Hamburg, as the Lumberjack Soccer Club finished all-square with the Lions at 2-2 Friday night, April 14, 2023, at Campbell Field.
In a game that has huge 4A East Championship implications, Warren traveled to Hamburg Friday night off the back of a 6-0 drubbing of Monticello the previous evening. Coach Shaun Wilson’s Lumberjacks, however, understood that the task Friday night would be a different animal.
Top photo: Cristian Sandoval(left) celebrates with Tarion Marshall(right) following Sandoval’s penalty to equalize at 1-1 Friday night. Photo by Saline River Chronicle.
By Rob Reep
Saline River Chronicle
This Lumberjack match report is brought to you by:
Warren sat back in the early minutes and put bodies behind the ball. The tactic worked well as it stifled a fast-paced Hamburg attack.
The Lions shot over the bar from a free kick in the 2nd minute. They would have another blasted effort on target in the 4th saved by Warren keeper Jessi Cortes.
Warren’s first real chance came in the 5th. Jose Garcia beat his man down the right-wing and ventured inside the 18-yard box. However, his shot was skied.
Lumberjack central defender Daniel Sosa nearly put the Jacks up in the ninth from a corner. He rose high and headed an effort her goal, but the shot went wide.
The game became a bit chaotic over the next few minutes. Warren’s Greco Figueroa made a sliding tackle that earned him the match’s first yellow card in the 15th minute. Cortes made another fantastic save in the 18th.
Warren found themselves under some pressure midway through the half but left-back Bryan Reynosa stepped forward in the 21st minute and made a superb run out from the back. Near midfield, he was brought down by a Hamburg Lion. Calls from the crowd for a yellow were heard, but none was given for the foul.
Cortes caught a hammered shot from Hamburg in the 34th. The Warren keeper was a big part of why the game remained at 0-0 for so long in the first half.
In the very last minute of the half, a penalty was awarded to Hamburg. The Lions converted to take a 1-0 advantage into the break.
In the early minutes of the second half, Cortes made a top-notch jumping save to keep the Jacks in the contest.
His efforts paid greatly in the 51st minute when Warren’s Miguel Mendoza was brought down in the box. The referee pointed to the spot, and Cristian Sandoval stepped up and calmly placed the kick into the back of the net to even the score at 1-1.
Hamburg didn’t rest on their laurels, though. The Lions came clawing back in the 58th minute with a go-ahead goal to make it 2-1.
Over the next 30 minutes, the Lions sat back in defense. They were content to let the Jacks attack while clearing everything from the back line. It was a risk to try and simply see out the game. And it looked as if it might have worked.
In the 78th minute, however, Warren won a free kick from 30 yards out near the center of the pitch. Lumberjack senior Oscar Perez, with all the pressure of Warren’s Conference hopes on the line, curled a beauty into the back of the net to secure Warren 2-2 tie on the road. Perez was named the Que Lindo Michoacan Man of the Match.
Perhaps it is because the Jacks came from behind. Perhaps it’s because it came so late, but it felt like a point gained more than a point lost.
The Lumberjacks now sit at 6-2-2 overall and 5-0-1 in the 4A East. They will travel next Tuesday to take on Lonoke in a 4A East Conference clash. Kickoff is set for 5:00 pm.