EGELSTON TWP – When you’re at the top, you’re going to be hunted.
Whether it be in the food chain or the top of the National Premier Soccer League, you’ll always have someone trying to knock you down.
On May 31 the Muskegon Risers, the top-ranked squad in the entire 96-team NPSL, beat Panathinaikos Chicago.7-1.
On Sunday the Risers had a home rematch against that last-place team, and had to work a little harder to claim a 4-1 victory at Oakridge High School.
[1]Muskegon is now 4-0 on the season and remains in first place of the NPSL’s Great Lakes Division, ahead of second place FC Columbus.
“Credit it to them,” said Risers Coach Stu Collins about the new look Chicago team that had some new players and a new coach. “They were far more organized. Their new coach has them in a different shape that’s tougher to break down.”
Chicago proved ready for the challenge on Sunday, when Muskegon held just a 1-0 lead at halftime and the visitors tied the game just under two minutes into the second half.
The first Muskegon goal came from Giuseppe Barone when he headed in a ball with an assist from Eron Sylejmani.
[2]The quick Chicago second-half goal was the first goal that Muskegon has allowed this season.
“It was going to happen sometime,” said Collins, whose team had outscored three opponents 11-0 before Sunday. “At this level, it can happen just like that. I wouldn’t put it on any one player. Maybe we came out a bit flat, but it was going to happen.”
Being in a second-half tie with a last-place team did not sit well with the Risers, however, and they quickly put the pedal to the medal offensively to salvage the victory.
Sylejmani netted a penalty kick at the 58 minute mark to put the Risers back ahead 2-1.
“I saw the goalie leaning,” said Sylejmani about the converted penalty kick. “He wanted me to go right, so I just hit it as hard as I could to the left and it went in.”
[3]Just over a minute later, Mason Smith scored off a pass from Adetunji Ifaturoti to make the score 3-1.
The final goal of the night came in the 85th minute when Alec Belcastro scored with an assist from Sander Cosmus-Kohberg.
Muskegon outshot Chicago 12-6 with Risers goalkeeper Mason Maziasz stopping five shots on the night.
The Risers will host third-place Carpathia FC on Thursday night with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Oakridge High School.
“It’s always going to be a weight on your shoulders,” said Collins about his team managing the pressure of being at the top. “We have to manage expectations of ourselves and of everyone else. We have to be better than we were today, no doubt. But 4-1 is us grinding one out and that’s okay.”
[4]