By Jinseong Kim
Last weekend, AFC Ann Arbor women and men went through a double away day in Kalamazoo. Women completed their second-to-the-last USL W League game in a fashionable 3-1 win on Saturday. A day after, the men suffered a painful 1-4 loss to KZFC.
Women
The women didn’t have the best first half as KZFC dominated most of the possession. This led to the host taking the lead in the 28th minute. A right-footed cross from the left flank went past all the defenders, and found Bailey Korhorn, who would find the back of the net.
AFCAA started to get back in rhythm in the late first half. Angeline Kieh and Luana Grabias showed some nice footwork and well-aimed shots, but their efforts were either denied by the goalkeeper or missed the target.
In the second half, The Mighty Oak turned into a totally different team. The early minutes of the 45 minutes were controlled by Ann Arbor, in search of an equalizer. A noteworthy outcome came in the 52nd minute, and it was Brooklyn Whitehead who leveled the game. Receiving Ashley Zugay’s pass near the arc, Whitehead beat two defenders with a skillful touch, and banged with her left foot.
After an equalizer, Ann Arbor kept pressing the KZ defense to log another goal. Angeline Kieh and Tatiana Mason attempted long range efforts in between the two minutes, which landed extra pressure on the opponent.
It came to fruition in the 67th minute from a set piece opportunity. Lina Berrah whipped in a corner on the right end following Ashley Zugay’s free kick, and the cross delivered by the Swiss drew an own goal that put AFCAA ahead of KZFC by one.
Ann Arbor had to deal with KZFC’s pressure after the second, but Stefane Rosa’s consecutive saves kept the second half sheet clean for the visitors. Successfully preventing Kalamazoo’s attack, The Mighty Oak put a cherry on top at the last minute of the game. Substitute Marcella Helena’s right-footed effort made the final scoreline 3-1.
A victory from Kalamazoo means more than just a league win for The Mighty Oak women. It was the last league away game for the women as the season heads toward an end. Concluding a successful away campaign, AFCAA are looking to finish the season strong at home.
The Saturday encounter was also the semi-final match of this year’s Michigan Milk Cup women’s division. A 3-1 win means that Ann Arbor women have reached the final for the first time. The women’s previous record in the tournament was semis in the 2019 edition. The final will take place on Monday, July 6 at 7:00 pm, at Atwood Stadium in Flint.
Men
The scenario was Kalamazoo FC’s in the first half as AFC Ann Arbor struggled to adjust to the field. The men fell behind early in the first half as KZFC took the lead three minutes after the kick off and extended it to two in the 22nd minute. Pepe Martinez and Daire O’Riordan scored, respectively.
After a defensively challenging first half, The Mighty Oak started to shift gears to attack in the second half. With more shots and set pieces being taken, the men spent more time on the opposite half more compared to the first. Unexpectedly, it was KZFC who netted and created a three-goal deficit. Matt Whelan caught the defensive blunder and curled into the left corner in the 64th minute.
Ann Arbor almost got the first goal in the 66th minute from the corner, but David Garcia’s header was cleared right on the line. Four minutes later, Malcolm Young pulled one back for AFCAA. The substitute launched from long distance aiming to pass to a target man, but it looped over KZFC goalkeeper and crossed the goal line.
AFCAA allowed the fourth to the host at the very last minute. A cross from the left wing went directly to the goal in a route that Jonathan Gomes couldn’t be prepared for. The game was called immediately after the final action.
Women are back home on Saturday, July 9 for their final USL W League game against Midwest United. Men, on the other hand, take Flint City Bucks home on Wednesday, June 29.
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!