By Jinseong Kim
This week, AFC Ann Arbor are on the road for four consecutive away matches. The women travel down to Kentucky to take on Racing Louisville FC on Wed., June 22, before switching their focus to Kalamazoo FC away on Sat., June 25. The men, on the other hand, go on their second Oakland County road trip of the season on Fri., June 24, and follow the women’s footsteps for a Kalamazoo FC away day on Sun., June 26.
The men had an undefeated match week against Flint City Bucks and Midwest United. Against a strong, well-equipped Bucks, the men managed to earn a point at Hornet Stadium thanks to Shion Soga’s late penalty which leveled the game 1-1. The following match last Sunday ended in a thrilling 4-1 victory over Midwest. Luke Benford, Curt Calov, Yushi Nagao and Jonas Bickus were the goalscorers, and the men gave a superb Father’s Day gift to the audience.
The men’s side have positive memories of Oakland County FC, but the total opposite of KZFC. The last two encounters between AFCAA and OCFC ended in The Mighty Oak’s tremendous 5-0 win, both home and away. But OCFC bounced back in June and became a totally different team. In a total of six games in the month, OCFC recorded four wins, one loss, and one draw, placing them only three points behind AFCAA, the table leader, albeit, with two extra games played.
Kalamazoo FC are the total opposite to OCFC. To The Mighty Oak supporters, KZFC are remembered by the notorious 1-2 loss in Saline. But since then, they have recorded five matches without a win - two losses and three draws - since the encounter. KZFC is placed second in the table, having also played two more games than AFCAA.
Women recorded one win and two losses in the past week. Tumbling 1-2 against Detroit City FC and 1-3 to Midwest United in two away games, the women’s side managed to beat Flint City AFC 3-0 at home. Last week was a week for debutants, as Agatha Nimene, Marcella Helena, Danae Moriarty, and Shakira O’Malley seized their opportunity to present themselves in The Mighty Oak shirt.
It’s the women’s second encounter against Racing Louisville and Kalamazoo FC. AFCAA and Louisville drew 2-all in Hornet Stadium and this remains as one of the most thrilling games of this year. Racing played two games after the trip to Saline, thumping Midwest United 3-2 and falling behind 1-3 to Indy Eleven. Racing sit second in the table, three points ahead of third-placed AFC Ann Arbor.
The initial Kalamazoo game that took place on May 22 was the women’s home opener, and the first home win to the women. AFCAA topped the visitors 3-0 thanks to Lina Berrah’s brace and an own goal. KZFC have only collected one win (with three losses) in a total of four games since then, and they sit sixth in the Great Lakes Division.
About AFC Ann Arbor
Association Football Club Ann Arbor (AFC Ann Arbor) was founded in 2014 and competes in USL2 (men’s) and USLW (women’s) national amateur leagues. We are a community-based club, focused on equity, justice, and anti-racism. We consider all of our stakeholders, including supporters, players, staff, and ownership to be part of the #AFCAAFamily. Come On You Mighty Oak!