AFC Mobile gave up a one goal lead late in the game after the Louisiana Fire’s Dante Oliver scored two goals in the final minutes to seal a comeback victory.
“We just didn’t have enough moxie to see it through. Gave up two questionable goals, might have been offsides, but regardless we’ve got to to do a little bit better job defending those,” AFC Mobile coach Nate Nicholas said. “I think from the top by me as a coach to the players we’ve gotta find a better way to finish it out and come out with a victory. But the boys fought hard, it was a well fought game for us, we just didn’t capitalize on the chances we were given.”
Mobile started the match strong. In the opening minutes of the match, Matt Merrill sent a free kick over the crossbar. Minutes later, Chisom Ogbonna cut in from the left hand side of the pitch to test the Fire keeper, Pepe Serrano.
Nine minutes into a frantic first half, AFC Mobile goalkeeper Brent Grube saved a penalty from the Fire’s Igor Siscov to keep the score level.
Minutes after, Ogbonna was taken down in the box, but neither a yellow card nor a penalty was awarded.
Ogbonna left the field, but returned shortly thereafter. In the 26th minute, Ogbanna gave Mobile its best chance of the match when he bicycle-kicked a shot from the middle of the box that sailed just wide of the far post.
The game was deadlocked at zero to start the second half. Mobile was tested early when a shot from the Fire bounced out of Grube’s hands. The ball fell to a Fire player whose shot at the open goal was cleared off the line by newcomer Dawson Jellenc.
“Dawson played centerback the whole 90 minutes, and we needed him out there—especially with Memo [Lumbreras] taking a knock there at the end of the game.” Nicholas said. “Overall he did pretty well, but you could also see he’s a young kid who’s still learning some stuff. But for a debut with a semi-pro team, being with the guys for only two practices, I thought he played really, really well.”
In the 67th minute, Ogbonna played a ball across the face of the goal to Amos Ndikumana, whose shot went just over the crossbar.
Minutes later, Sherman Winchester headed the ball to Moses Muhubao, who slotted it home to break the deadlock and give AFC Mobile the lead. The go-ahead goal was Muhubao’s second of the season.
In the 77th minute, AFC Mobile nearly doubled its lead when Batevya Mediateur found Ogbonna on the right hand side, but he couldn’t convert.
The Fire’s Dante Oliver managed to get past the Mobile back line in the 89th minute to equalize. Minutes later in stoppage time, Oliver scored the game winner for the Fire, in spite of impassioned cries from the crowd that he was offside.
The loss gives AFC Mobile an 0-0-2 record on the season. The Fire move to 1-0-1 after falling to Jackson, Mississippi’s Gaffa FC last week. Next Saturday, AFC Mobile will head to Jackson to take on Gaffa FC, who beat the reigning GCPL champions, CD Motagua of New Orleans, 4-2 on Saturday night.
AFC Mobile will play its next home game on June 10th at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex against Biloxi City FC. Tickets are only $5.00, and kids 12 and under will be admitted free of charge. RSVP today and invite your friends! Be sure to follow AFC Mobile on all your favorite social media platforms: Facebook: AFC Mobile; Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat: @AFCMobile.
