A late comeback was not enough to secure a point as Lansing Common FC fell in their Midwest Premier League debut 3-2 against the West Michigan Bearings. The Robins scored two goals in the last 30 minutes of the game but were unable to complete the comeback after being down 3-0.
“You couldn’t win a trophy today and you couldn’t lose one,” said head coach Josh Oakley.
The match began with a lot of intensity in the midfield for both sides. Midfielders Marco Bernardini and Munir Sherali had to play the ball quickly to beat the press from the Bearings.
15 minutes into the match, Bearings forward Jordan Hooker dribbled the ball into the Robins box and passed to midfielder Reid Culberson who took a shot with his first touch and scored the opening goal.
The Robins immediately went back to a possession-based approach and stayed patient until they could find an open lane to forward Shady Omar.
“One thing we worked on hard was changing the point of attack,” said Oakley. “Early on, there were spaces in between their flat lines to play in and we could not find those spaces.”
The Robins constantly attempted to play in behind the Bearings defense with defensive backs Kyle Scott and Dante Morrissette, but in the first 45 minutes, it was difficult for them to get a clear run in behind.
Seconds before halftime, Bearings midfielder Isaac Braak passed a ball through to Abraham Arellano at the top of the box and Arellano took a shot with his right foot that found the bottom-left corner of Zac Kelly’s goal, making it 2-0.
“We have a lot to sort out and we’re still finding a groove,” said head coach Josh Oakley.
Coming out of the halftime break, Oakley subbed on forward Ty Usiak to add more pace alongside Omar.
The first 15 minutes of the second half were positive for the Robins as they attacked more with Scott and Sherali down the right-wing and found passes to the forwards.
At the 60-minute mark, Bernardini misplaced a pass to the feet of Hooker who launched a shot from 40 yards out that found its way into the back of the net.
Suddenly, the Bearings were up 3-0.
“We have to look hard at how we pick the team,” said Oakley. “We have to look at who’s not just training well but who can handle the demands (of the game) and start well.”
Exactly one minute after Hooker’s goal, Usiak lofted a pass to Scott on the right-wing, who turned past a Bearings defender and curled in a shot with his left foot that went past goalkeeper Carter Selvius to bag a goal for the Robins that made it 3-1.
The current Western Michigan Bronco scored his second goal in as many games for Lansing Common FC and his first in the MWPL.
Momentum shifted for the Robins, and the last half-hour of the game saw them getting more players in the opposition’s half and quickly trying to get another goal.
At the 80-minute mark, Sherali dribbled past a few Bearings defenders and sent a low cross into the middle of the box that found midfielder Leutrim Shefkiu. Shefkiu was able to slot the ball into the back of the net and reduce the deficit to one goal.
With the Robins now trailing 3-2, Oakley kept pushing his team to find the equalizer with less than 10 minutes left on the scoreboard.
Forward Ben Meschke had a chance at one in the 88th minute when the ball glanced past his face, but he could not get the contact he wanted to finish the move.
With over 4 minutes of extra time on the clock, the Robins could not find another goal, but they fought until the end.
“There were first-game jitters and in these situations, you win some and you lose some,” said defender Dante Morrissette. “All that matters now is how we do in the next game.”
Lansing Common FC (0-0-1) will prepare this week to take on Inter Detroit (1-2-0) at Evolution Sportplex in Auburn Hills at 8 p.m on Friday, May 28.
