It was an unfamiliar feeling for the team members of Galileo on Sunday (Nov. 7).
For the first time this year in the Howe Sound Men's Soccer League (HSMSL), the team tasted defeat, falling to the upstart Ellis Moving Eagles 2-0.
After a slow start to the season, the defending champion Eagles seem to be rounding into form and sent the entire league a message by toppling the previously undefeated Galileo.
"We've finally got our full team back," said Eagles coach Phil Ellis. "We're feeling much better and this is a huge win for us."
According to Ellis, it was a close game but scoring the first goal was one of the keys to victory for the Eagles.
"The intensity was pretty equal but they haven't been behind in a game all year and I think it got to them," he said.
The league's leading scorer and Galileo star Cristian Oreamuno was disappointed with his team's first loss for the year but said he admitted that the Eagles were the better team on the afternoon.
"There's really not much to say - they beat us," he said. "We were missing a couple of guys and a bunch of us are playing injured but those are just excuses."
The teams traded chances early on with both keepers making crucial saves to keep the game scoreless. As the first half continued, the Eagles defence began tightening up and they managed to have excellent passing and ball movement.
Offensively, the Eagles were controlling the ball and pressuring Galileo, and it eventually paid off. Chris Knight of the Eagles opened the scoring after a cross put the ball right in front of him.
Knight booted it past the Galileo keeper to put the Eagles up 1-0 and that's how the first half ended.
The second half saw both teams get extremely close in penalty kicks but the goalies both managed to keep the ball out of the net. Mid-way through the second half, Galileo's keeper misplayed the ball and found himself out of position as Todd Rippon took advantage, making it 2-0 for the Eagles.
Galileo had a number of other opportunities, including Oreamuno hitting the post but they failed to beat the Eagles keeper and the game ended at 2-0.
The game also featured the HSMSL's new policy of trying to eliminate swearing from the pitch. A number of players were given yellow cards for curse words, with six different players picking up yellow cards in the game.
The win strengthens the Eagles hold on third place in the HSMSL, with a record of four wins, two losses and one draw. Galileo remains in first with a record of six wins, one loss and one tie.
In other league action, Khalsa and Dyer Straits played to a 1-1 draw. Chad Pereira scored for Khalsa while Charles Carter tallied for Dyer Straits.
In the late game, Lilwat7uhl defeated Zephyr 3-1. Lilwat7uhl's Peter Cooper notched a hat trick while Ryan Quigley scored the lone marker for Zephyr.
For the leading scorers and the full standings of the league, check out the scoreboard section in The Chief.
