Article by Ryan Flynn
Sarasota, FL – As the ball soared from the sidelines towards the Weston goal, fans watched with anticipation as players from both sides leapt to be the first ones to reach the ball. The clock had just ticked past twenty-nine minutes, a break in the action just moments away. With the field basking in the glow of the setting sun, Weston’s Jad Benjelloun was the first one to the ball, heading it straight up into the air and back safely towards goalkeeper Santino Lupica-Tondo. The ball never made it back to Lupica-Tondo, instead finding the head of Seth Mahlmeister who put it into the back of the net, sending the fans into a frenzy and the striker into celebrations that would be part of a 3-0 Sarasota win.
The game started out much like any other the Paradise have played this season, with both teams trading possession and playing pressure-heavy defense that kept the score deadlocked early. The Paradise had chances early as a cross into the box just ten minutes into the game failed to find the goal, as did one five minutes later. The score stayed tied at zero until the 29th minute, when Mahlmeister’s header found the net, putting the Paradise up 1-0 and giving the striker his seventh goal of the season. The score stayed this way as the clock counted down towards halftime, with Weston having a chance in the 33rd minute, but being denied by a leaping Enzo Panozzo, who’s goal-line clearance kept it a 1-0 game. Mahlmeister made it 2-0 in the 39th minute, converting a penalty and taking his goal tally for the season up to eight.
The second half provided much of the same story as the first, with each team playing aggressive defense and thwarting any opportunities the other may have had at a goal. It remained a 2-0 game until the 70th minute, when Will Pierce flicked the ball past a Weston defender and found the net to make it 3-0 and seal the win for the Paradise.
The win puts the Paradise atop the South Florida Division, three points above Miami AC with just four games left in the regular season as the Paradise fight for a spot in the USL2 playoffs.
QUOTES
“A dominant performance from our group from beginning to end. I was really proud of our compete level and desire to get a result at home in front of our fans who are incredible supporters.” – Mirko Dakovic, Coach
“It was a great performance from the lads. We were able to keep a clean sheet and score three goals which will hopefully give us more momentum for the upcoming games” – Will Pierce, Midfielder
