EGELSTON TOWNSHIP – The Muskegon Risers failed to win a game for the first time this season.
But they also didn’t lose, thanks in great part to goalkeeper Mason Maziasz.
The Risers and Carpathia FC battled through two intense halves of scoreless soccer on Thursday night, but the end did not look promising for Muskegon.
Carpathia’s Alexander Gloshen drew a penalty inside the Risers’ defensive box with very little time left in the game. He was awarded a penalty kick, going one-on-one with Maziasz, and the odds were very much in Gloshen’s favor.
[1]But Maziasz guessed correctly, dove to his right and made a spectacular save on the shot, keeping the game scoreless. Shortly after, a Carpathia shot clanked off the post of the Risers’ goal, providing the home team with another huge break.
So the game ended in a 0-0 tie at Oakridge High School, and the previously undefeated Risers dropped to 4-0-1 on the season.
Nobody on the Muskegon squad was happy with the result, but all the fans were very happy with Maziasz.
“On PKs, in my head, I know I’m not expected to make the save, so that relieves the pressure,” said the keeper, who made several tough saves and finished with four. “I just watch (the shooter’s) hips, make a quick decision and go with it.”
Risers coach Stu Collins credited Maziasz for making the big save, but was not at all happy with his team’s performance.
“We’re not here for individual moments,” Collins said. “We’re a team. Mason did his job really well tonight, but the rest of us didn’t do our jobs very well.
[2]“We didn’t have enough energy in the attacking third, we were wasteful in front of the goal, and we created chances but didn’t have that cutting edge, which was frustrating. A lot of it was of our own doing, rather than anything (Carpathia) did.”
When asked if getting their first non-victory of the season might motivate the team, Collins said that’s possible.
“You always need those moments in the season to refocus you,” the coach said. “The highs are never as high as you think and the lows are never as low. We always talk about being the best version of ourselves, but we were not the best version tonight.”
Muskegon outshot Carpathia 3-2 in the first half and controlled the pace of play, but was unable to find the back of the net.
The Risers again had the upper hand offensively in the second half, and had several great opportunities to score, but multiple close-range shots flew over the goal.
[3]In the 78th minute (of the 90-minute game), Carpathia had a great chance to take a lead but hit the post with a shot, then Maziasz made an incredible save on another shot on the rebound.
“The ball went out wide, I had to get back in net, and luckily I was in the right position to make the stop,” Maziasz said.
Muskegon outshot Carpathia 6-4 on the night.
The Risers will return to action on June 25 when they travel to Wisconsin to play the Milwaukee Torrent.