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A late surge from the Free Jacks overcame a 13-point deficit to give the defending champions a 31-30 win over Old Glory on Saturday. The atmosphere and intensity resembled a knockout match and the two sides could yet meet again in the playoffs pending the final weeks of the regular season.
It was an astonishing start for the home side. DC secured the opening kickoff and Cory Daniel broke the line at halfway. Ishmail Shabazz was in support to carry it further into Free Jacks territory, and when the ball was recycled Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz powered over with Jason Robertson’s conversion making it 7-nil with fans still taking their seats.
New England regained their composure quickly and a Mitch Wilson half-break down the right side put Old Glory on the back foot. After several phases Wayne van der Bank took an inside pass from Jayson Potroz in under the posts, with the latter leveling the scores with his boot.
Robertson and Potroz exchanged penalty goals and it was 10-apiece at the half-hour mark. A few minutes later DC turned down posts in favor of a tap penalty play, and it paid dividends as Axel Müller finished off simple hands down the line to score in the corner. The kick from Robertson gave the home side a 17-10 halftime lead.
Not long into the second half Robertson extended the lead to 10 points, but the visitors soon conjured a response. Fa’anana-Schultz was forced off favoring his right knee and the Free Jacks poured on the pressure. A set move from a lineout went from Potroz back inside to Paula Balekana and it was a clear run to the line with a diving finish for the winger. The conversion was true to close the gap to three.
A snap drop goal from Robertson just crept over the bar to nudge DC ahead, and then Piers von Dadelszen saw yellow after taking bout Müller off the ball. Within seconds Old Glory were knocking on the door and Facundo Gattas crashed over on the back of a driving maul. Robertson added the extras and it was now 30-17 to DC heading into the second hydration break.
Reece MacDonald sparked a reply for the visitors with a searing counter-attack to earn territory. A penalty followed and the Free Jacks kicked for the corner, with Andrew Quattrin matching the efforts of Gattas to make it a once score game. Quattrin turned into playmaker with a short pass to Potroz just a few minutes later and the conversion gave the visitors their first lead of the match with 10 minutes to play.
Old Glory pressed in the final minutes and spotted an opportunity with Wilson was binned for a deliberate knock-on. The defense held strong, however, and a miscue at the maul turned the ball over allowing the Free Jacks to kick the ball dead for full-time.
It’s a short turnaround for DC who will hit the road to take on the Dallas Jackals next Friday night. The Free Jacks can take another step towards clinching the Eastern Conference title when they host the Utah Warriors on Sunday.
| SCORING |
DC 30
Tries (3) – J. Fa’anana-Schultz (1′), A. Muller (35′), F. Gattas (56′)
Cons (3) – J. Robertson 3/3 (2′, 36′, 57′)
Pens (2) – J. Robertson 2/2 (22′, 43′)
DG (1) – J. Robertson 1/1 (53′)
NEW ENGLAND 31
Tries (4) – W. van der Bank (17′), P. Balekana (49′), A. Quattrin (63′), J. Potroz (68′)
Cons (4) – No kick (17′), J. Potroz 3/3 (50′, 64′, 69′)
Pens (1) – J. Potroz 1/1 (30′)
YC (1) – P. von Dadelszen (55′), M. Wilson (79′)
| LINEUPS |
OLD GLORY DC
1 Jack Iscaro (17 Quentin Newcomer 52′), 2 Facundo Gattas (16 KoiKoi Nelligan 64′), 3 Steven Longwell (18 Tyler Rowland 62′), 4 Tevita Naqali, 5 Bill Whiteside (19 Ignacio Dotti 69′), 6 Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz (capt.) (20 Collin Grosse 49′), 7 Cory Daniel, 8 Lautaro Bavaro, 9 Connor Buckley (21 Ethan McVeigh 52′), 10 Jason Robertson, 11 Axel Müller, 12 Tommaso Boni (23 John Powers 64′), 13 William Talataina, 14 Ishmail Shabazz, 15 Perry Humphreys
Not used: 22 Gradyn Bowd
NEW ENGLAND FREE JACKS
1 Malakai Hala-Ngatai (17 Kyle Ciquera 50′), 2 Andrew Quattrin (16 Sean Ralph 78′), 3 John-Roy Jenkinson (18 Cole Keith 50′), 4 Kyle Baillie, 5 Conor Keys (19 Piers von Dadelszen 20′), 6 Ethan Fryer (23 Cam Davidowicz 69′), 7 Jed Melvin (20 Mitch Jacobson 50′), 8 Martín Sigren, 9 Holden Yungert (21 Cam Nordli-Kelemeti 58′), 10 Jayson Potroz (capt.), 11 Paula Balekana, 12 Le Roux Malan (22 Ben LeSage 57′), 13 Wayne van der Bank, 14 Mitch Wilson, 15 Reece MacDonald
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Saturday, June 8
Venue: Maryland SoccerPlex, Germantown
Kickoff: 19:00 local
Weather: sunny, 81°F (27°C), wind W 4-7mph (6-11km/h)
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Robin Kaluzniak (Canada)
Assistants: Amelia Luciano (USA) & Aaron Davis (USA)
TMO: Derek Summers (USA)
| HIGHLIGHTS |
