By Ryan Makuch
The Mighty Oak’s women’s side traveled down to Cincinnati to square off with Kings Hammer FC. They walked out with all three points and one of the most famous victories in the early history of AFCAA’s women’s team – a 3-1 victory over Kings Hammer FC on one of the first truly beautiful evenings of the summer.
AFC Ann Arbor started the match well, getting on the front foot quickly. Angeline Kieh and Brooklyn Whitehead both had shots in the first ten minutes, and Kieh showed off some quality early with a nice back-heel lay-off to Jayde Riviere, making her AFCAA debut, on the right touchline.
AFCAA continued to assert themselves within the run of play, with counter-attacks and set-pieces serving as great opportunities for The Mighty Oak’s women’s presence to be felt in the attack. Kings Hammer would take a foothold in the game around the 35th minute, but AFCAA would have a great, late, chance in the first half, as Tatiana Mason’s close-range shot in first-half stoppage time was saved well with a kick save by the keeper.
It was a late first-half warning shot from AFCAA, who had built well into the game. Another debutant, Ellie Ferguson, helped keep the defense grounded and strong throughout the first half with plenty of headers away in the defensive third.
It was a strong first-half performance, but it was fairly balanced, with the emphasis being on a strong defensive effort from The Mighty Oak. Kings Hammer opened the second half with a point to prove, but by the 60th minute, AFCAA had established an even stronger hold in the game.
Kendall Robertson also had her part to play in the match, as a high bouncing ball in the six-yard box raised some questions about the defense. Robertson would claim the ball, though, and ensure that no further harm could be raised.
It took just another ten minutes for AFCAA to find the breakthrough they had been hoping for, but it was eventually found by the boot of Tatiana Mason, whose excellent finish was only enhanced by the stellar build-up of Kieh, who earned the Milk Means More Woman of the Match for her work done throughout the whole match, who found Chloe Ricketts in an area for her to deliver a crucial final ball to Mason.
It took just four more minutes to find the second, as Lina Berrah, who came off the bench as a substitute, linked up with Kieh, her Campbellsville teammate, to double The Mighty Oak’s lead. Credit must also go to Riviere, who started this attack as well with some forward-thinking full-back play.
After a Kings Hammer response in the 84th minute, Kieh finally got a goal of her own with a 22-yard screamer in the 88th minute. Riviere will get credit for the assist, but it was a screamer that demanded the headlines for its beauty as well as the exclamation point it put on an excellent day for The Mighty Oak’s Liberian.
From there, it was all textbook. Robertson made another strong save in the 90th minute for AFCAA, but the scoreline remained 3-1 till the final whistle, ensuring that AFC Ann Arbor’s women would take all three points on the long bus ride home with them.
AFC Ann Arbor’s women open their home campaign on Sunday, May 22, at 4 PM at Saline High School. The Mighty Oak will take on Kalamazoo FC, and we will be pleased to award the Bank of Ann Arbor Community Award to Kallista Walker at halftime.
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!