The Nightmare took the field Saturday afternoon against the Eureka Wildcats under threatening skies. Jefferson City came racing out of the gate as junior captain Joseph Bustamante fielded the kickoff, broke a tackle, stiff armed another defender then outran the rest of the Eureka defenders to score a try in under 30 seconds. The conversion kick went wide. Nightmare 5 – Eureka 0. The match continued with more even play from both teams. Jefferson City’s defense was in top form. The Nightmare had a several periods of strong play that put them in positions to score, but at key moments, individual players lost their patience and made poor decisions that allowed Eureka to turn the ball over and relieve the pressure. About midway through the first half the rain started which slowed down the offenses. The first half ended without any more scoring. Halftime Score Nightmare 5 – Eureka 0.
The second half started with several substitutions for both teams. Jefferson City kicked off to Eureka and played strong defense and forcing a turnover. The Nightmare tried to get the ball wide to its speedy players but Eureka intercepted a pass and ran 40 meters for a try under the posts. The kick was good giving Eureka a 5–7 lead. Jefferson City regrouped from the mistake to push their way deep into Eureka territory. After sustained pressure Andrew Field picked the ball from the base of a ruck and dove across the tryline from 3 meters out to take back the lead. The kick missed low. Nightmare 10 – Eureka 7.
The game resumed with more solid defense from Jefferson City. The Nightmare caused a turnover at a ruck and quickly got the ball out to Alex Walker who ran around several defenders to score in the corner. The conversion from the touchline was no good but the Nightmare pushed their lead to 15–7. Late in the match Eureka worked down the field and punched in a second try which was converted. Nightmare 15 – Eureka 14.
Jefferson City spent the final minutes of the game slowly moving up field while protecting possession dearly. When they got word from the referee that time was out they kicked the ball out of play to end the match. Final Score Nightmare 15 – Eureka 14.
Overall the team played well. They were aggressive on defense, made their tackles and counter-rucked excellently. The offense needs to work out some kinks which will help us convert more of our scoring chances into points. Sean McGrail was Man of the Match for his effort. He consistently lined up against Eureka’s strongest players and won the contact on both offense and defense. We will continue to work at practice to improve the execution of our game plan. The next match is Saturday April 25 in Kansas City against Park Hill South. The next home match is Saturday May 2. Kickoff is at 1:00pm. See you all there.
The second half started with several substitutions for both teams. Jefferson City kicked off to Eureka and played strong defense and forcing a turnover. The Nightmare tried to get the ball wide to its speedy players but Eureka intercepted a pass and ran 40 meters for a try under the posts. The kick was good giving Eureka a 5–7 lead. Jefferson City regrouped from the mistake to push their way deep into Eureka territory. After sustained pressure Andrew Field picked the ball from the base of a ruck and dove across the tryline from 3 meters out to take back the lead. The kick missed low. Nightmare 10 – Eureka 7.
The game resumed with more solid defense from Jefferson City. The Nightmare caused a turnover at a ruck and quickly got the ball out to Alex Walker who ran around several defenders to score in the corner. The conversion from the touchline was no good but the Nightmare pushed their lead to 15–7. Late in the match Eureka worked down the field and punched in a second try which was converted. Nightmare 15 – Eureka 14.
Jefferson City spent the final minutes of the game slowly moving up field while protecting possession dearly. When they got word from the referee that time was out they kicked the ball out of play to end the match. Final Score Nightmare 15 – Eureka 14.
Overall the team played well. They were aggressive on defense, made their tackles and counter-rucked excellently. The offense needs to work out some kinks which will help us convert more of our scoring chances into points. Sean McGrail was Man of the Match for his effort. He consistently lined up against Eureka’s strongest players and won the contact on both offense and defense. We will continue to work at practice to improve the execution of our game plan. The next match is Saturday April 25 in Kansas City against Park Hill South. The next home match is Saturday May 2. Kickoff is at 1:00pm. See you all there.
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