By Jinseong Kim
AFC Ann Arbor women grabbed a well-deserved 3-0 win over the in-state rival Kalamazoo FC. A brace from Swiss-born Lina Berrah and an own goal from KZFC defense were enough to entertain and excite fans on the stands in the USL W League season home opener at Hornet Stadium.
For the first 20 minutes, AFCAA took some time to test the opponent with some shots from long range, and it profited in the 22nd minute. It was the Campbellsville duo again who were at the front in last Friday’s 3-1 win over Kings Hammer FC. Angeline Kieh connected a header pass to Lina Berrah on the left side of the box. Berrah then fired to the bottom right corner, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.
The Mighty Oak pushed forward right away as soon as KZFC kicked off to extend the lead, and they were soon only an inch away from scoring the second. Jayde Riviere hit the crossbar from far away, and the follow-up shot from Angeline Kieh went straight to the goalkeeper. In the 29th minute, Kieh tried to flick an attempted scorpion kick over the goalkeeper, but the acrobatic effort was saved. A shot after that, The Mighty Oak hit the woodwork again, this time, from the boot of Tatiana Mason.
Five minutes before the half, AFCAA attacked with three consecutive shots from Tatiana Mason, Luana Grabias, and Angeline Kieh. Mason’s initial effort was punched away by the keeper, Luana’s shot went off the bar, and Kieh’s final shot was blocked by the defender.
The hunt for an extra goal came to fruition early in the second half. In the 51st minute, Jayde Riviere whipped the cross into the box from the right flank, which would brush off Kieh, and deflect off the defender’s left foot. The deflected ball went towards the goal, which was too quick for the KZFC goalie Nerea Mora to react.
After extending the lead to two, AFCAA continued to dominate the game by outnumbering in possession and shots. The only decent opportunity from Kalamazoo came in at the 74th minute mark, but Jayde Riviere was there to block the one-on-one situation.
A late goal in the 86th minute widened the gap to three, and it was Lina Berrah again. Second-half substitute Jenna Smith provided a sweet 30-yard long through ball over the top to Berrah on the left wing. After a soft touch, Berrah found the far right post which would comfortably go in. Berrah could’ve finished her day with a hat-trick as she broke through the defense a minute after the brace. But the effort was blocked by the defender.
The goal-scoring hero Lina Berrah was named the Milk Means More Women of the Match. On today’s performance, Berrah would say, “We did well in the first half. We kept the ball, and scored. [Of course], we missed some opportunities but [we’re happy that] we kept the clean sheet. I’m very happy to score two goals today in front of the fans. Although I missed some chances, I'm satisfied overall.
Women’s assistant coach Victor Plasse was content on the overall team performance today. “Honestly, we played alright. Actually, it was our first chance to gather the whole squad here, to feel what kind of team we will be this season. Our defense looked great. We created chances going forward.”
On the first clean sheet victory of the year, he would say, “It’s always an excellent thing to have a clean sheet. I would like to give the goalie and defenders a round of applause. They felt well about the game they played. We are very impressed about the defense, and how they are starting to communicate with each other, [considering that] they all have different backgrounds, and from different countries.”
AFC Ann Arbor women will get back on action next Saturday, May 28, as the ladies host Indy Eleven for the fourth round of the season.