Soccer team “baptizes” new artificial turf on Friday night

Under showering skies Friday night, the Manchester Flying Dutchmen soccer team was the first to take to the new turf field at the Manchester Athletic Complex. Photo courtesy of Drew Daniels.

The first sport to have a game on the new artificial turf field at the Manchester Athletic Complex was the boys soccer team, who played Chelsea on Friday night at 5:30 pm.

After just nine minutes of play, the referees called a 30-minute weather delay due to thunder and potential storms.

Although the rain continued, the thunder and lightning did not, so the game went on as scheduled.

“Within five minutes of restarting the game, Chelsea scored, making the game 1-0,” said Drew Daniels, parent of senior player Calvin Daniels. “The score stayed that way through the first half.”

However, in the first half, Chelsea scored two more goals to win the inaugural game by a score of 3-0. It may have been a slightly slower start to the season than the Dutch anticipated, since they had tied with Chelsea last year, but Daniels says that Coach Travis Baker continues to get the boys ready for the ISL League season, which begins August 28 against Columbia Central (also at home).

“In general, I’d say Manchester had a few really good chances,” said Daniels. “They just couldn’t capitalize on them and get on the scoreboard. As a team, Chelsea seemed solid and moved the ball really well to break down our defense.”

Manchester’s offense was led by Lenin Fierro, Calvin Daniels, and River Spitler. Owen Whitney and Reese Dresch led the Dutch defense.

With 22 players on the roster, this year’s team is the largest to date. Daniels added that the team is well balanced, with 8-9 seniors, and a similar number of freshmen. Baker, who is in his third year coaching the Flying Dutch soccer team, has been working with the boys in the pre-season, including a tournament this past Saturday in Monroe, where Manchester went 1-2, and another one in Jackson next Saturday. There will also be two more non-league games this week to provide the soccer team with ample time to prepare for their opener against Columbia.

Stay tuned for more soccer coverage throughout the season!

The new turf athletic field will host soccer as well as football games this fall. Photo courtesy Peter Psarouthakis.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.