September 5, 2002
Memphis Shock vs Inter United FC

From the first whistle it was quite evident that this game was going to be a battle. Inter showed from the first touch of the game that they were a very skilled club, and they showed early and often that they had lots of speed to accompany their great ball control. To all who watched and played the first half was spent with the Shock using all they had trying to fend off the constant pressure applied by the front line and midfield of Inter, but true to form the Shock defenders showed they were ready for the challenge. On more than one occasion the front line of Inter got off shots which failed to find the frame, but an equal number of shots were simply denied by great keeper play from the Shocks man between the posts, Baxter. Despite several shots off the crossbar and constant attacking pressure, Inter just couldn't seem to finish any of their scoring opportunities. With each miss the Shock dodged a bullet, but the confidence level also grew that they could hold their own. Although the Shock had few looks on goal, as the half progressed play began to even out. Late in the first half the Shock got a corner kick, and with that corner kick the game took on a whole new look. Brian Bishop sent in a perfect ball to the back post, and Kevin Echols got above every defender and HAMMERED the header to the upper 90! GOAL!!! Despite the pressure from Inter, Shock are now up 1-0! Only moments later Inter got a nice build up, and played the ball in from the right wing across the 18 to a waiting forward. He then dropped the ball back to the center of the 18 where there forward hit a one time ball past the Shock keeper who had no chance whatsover to react. Whistle blew.....halftime!

During the half Billy reminded the team that Inter was down 1-0 to the Storm and half and won the game 8-1~enough said! The second half started with a much more intense pace,and the action was fast both ways. About 10 minutes into the half Inter got a shot off from point blank range, and once again Baxter made a save for the highlight real. J.J had several good looks early in the second half. Both John Lindsey and Brian Bishop sent great balls with regularity up front to present great scoring chances for the Shock, but each shot seemed to be just a bit off target. Finally about halfway through the 2nd half Bishop hit a perfect ball up to Jason Lindsey on the left wing, and he gave a great thru ball to Matt. For once luck was on our side~ Matt took the ball,cut back past his defender, and while being pulled down from behind by the defender got a weak shot off. Despite the weak effort, luck played into our hands. Had the shot been untouched, the keeper had the save without a doubt; however, the shot was deflected by a defender! GOAL!! It wasn't pretty, but it counts!

Ironic how things always have a way of balancing themselves out. Mere minutes later Inter took a ball in transition and hit a man over the top of the defense for a quick trap and shoot. Goal! One major problem~ he was offsides by a good five yards when he received the ball!! Normally~one team screams offsides and the other says the no call was the right one. In this case......even members from Inter agreed that they got away with one on that goal! Unfair to have a goal like that tie things up......not at all. We are lucky that Inter didn't convert all the other chances they had in the game which could have made the game a totally one sided match!

Final score~2-2. In the end both teams walked off the field having given all they had. Did the team with the largest time of possession win......the team with the most shots on goal.....NO. For a large portion of the game Inter did dictate play, but it is not always the team with the best stats that wins a match. Hats off to Inter for a great game. They field a fantastic squad, and they are going to have a great year in D-2. Much must be said about the heart of the Shock as well. The defenders....Kip,Bolton,Jordan,Kevin,Mark, and Walt all played inspired soccer. Despite the raw speed and talent of the Inter forwards, the defense held stronger than ever. Despite allowing the ball into the back of the net, Baxter played the game of his lifetime! Much praise is due to his fantastic effort~you kept us in the game all night! John Lindsey and Bishop fought all night long to win the midfield, and without there non-stop efforts on both sides of the ball we would not have had the same results. JJ didn't find the net tonight, but his constant threat opened up the field for others to be effective. Not a win on the score sheet, but a great effort by all on the field! The second meeting should really be a battle! Great job Shock!! Hats off to Inter; you let your talent do the talking for you! See you in the second half of the season!

Matt Talley