Tale of Two Halves as Bolts Drop Points in 2-2 Draw with Albany Rush
After scoring two goals in dominant fashion during the first forty five minutes, the Bolts were let down by a poor second half performance, which allowed the visiting Albany Rush to rescue a point.
So far this season, the Boston Bolts have struggled to get results. That theme continued this past Saturday, when the team blew a two goal lead late in the second half. And while the hosts did walk away with a point at the end of the 2-2 draw, it was one of those ties that felt like a loss.
The first half was arguably the best 45 minutes of football that the Bolts have played all year. Right from the get go, the team looked energized and engaged. There was plenty of pace on display, with Felipe De Andrade and Alex St. John leading the line, while the lightning-quick Yale Bulldog Simon Adjakple made his second start of the season at left wing back.
After a dominant opening phase of play, the Bolts got their breakthrough in the seventeenth minute. Midfield maestro Alexi Karalis got on the ball and drove hard to the byline, torching Albany’s Lucas Horja in the process. Karalis then slid the ball across to the back post, where Morris Matthews was waiting for an easy tap-in that gave the Bolts the lead.
10 minutes later, the Bolts scored again in similar fashion. A clever through ball from Jason Zacarias unleashed St. John, who made an intelligent run down the right flank. Just like Karalis did from the left side on the first goal, St. John slid the ball across to the back post, where this time it was De Andrade who pounced, putting the Bolts up two goals.
Through the remainder of the first half, the Bolts continued to look dangerous. On several occasions, they looked like they would surely get a third goal. Regrettably for the hosts, that third goal never came, and the first half ended with the Bolts up 2-0.
The game was completely flipped on its head in the second half. After a disappointing first-half performance, Albany Rush looked determined to step it up in the second 45 minutes of play. The visitors started the second half by regaining their share of possession and beginning to dictate more of the play. The Bolts appeared slightly shaken and made a handful of substitutions in an attempt to reenergize.
By the 80th minute, the score remained 2-0 to the Bolts, and it looked as though the hosts may be able to escape with three points despite not playing their best soccer. But then in the 84th minute, Albany caught the Bolts high up field, launching a deadly counterattack. Ryan Farr received the ball on the left side of the box, took a touch inwards past Bolts center back Abdel Talabi, and buried the ball into the back of the net to get one back for his side at a crucial time. Farr’s goal was his fifth of the season, but more importantly, it provided Albany with a spark for the final stages of the match.
For the rest of the game, the Bolts were on their heels as Albany attacked relentlessly in search of an equalizer. Just as the fourth official signaled for three minutes of stoppage time, Farr found himself one one-on-one against Bolts goalkeeper Nikola Antic. Farr unselfishly centered the ball towards substitute Joe Matthews, who had an empty net in front of him, only for Bolts center back Matty Gradner to come flying in and make a last-ditch effort to clear the ball away over the bar.
Still, Albany remained on the front foot with a corner kick. The Bolts failed to fully clear their lines after the delivery and the ball made its way to Albany’s Jordan Shullenberger, who went down in the box and won a penalty kick for his side in what was a devastating sequence for the hosts. To make things worse for the Bolts, Alexi Karalis was given two yellow cards in a matter of seconds for his protests against the call, meaning the Bolts were knocked down to ten men. Substitute Christian Amaral stepped up to the spot and converted, tying the game at two goals a piece when just a few moments previous, it looked for sure as though the Bolts would walk away with three points.
The game ended as a draw shortly after, which was a crushing blow for the Bolts, who had let the game slip right out of their hands against a bottom-of-the-table team. After seven games, the Bolts have now drawn three, lost three, and won one, leaving them in eighth place in the Northeast Division. The Albany Rush sit just one place above the Bolts in the table thanks to the point they were able to rescue and bring back to New York in the closing stages of Saturday's match.
Now, the Bolts embark upon a four-game road trip in which they will face two of the top three teams in the division. While failing to secure a win on Saturday is disappointing for the Boston-based side, the Bolts remain unbeaten in their last two matches, a streak they will look to uphold Wednesday night in Epping, New Hampshire against Seacoast United.