LANSING, Mich. — After 30 minutes of silence on a cloudy afternoon, Lansing Common FC finally put one past the Tulip City United SC keeper to get their day started and propel them to a 2-0 victory in their Midwest Premier League opener.
“We’re still early into the campaign, a couple weeks in, but I thought we were the better side,” LCFC head coach Brent Sorg said. “I thought it was a deserved three points.”
Roarke Watterson was the one to break the 0-0 deadlock with a right-footed blast from the top of the penalty box that deflected off the goalkeeper’s hands and into the back of the net, assisted by Jack Voight.
“What’s pretty special about that young man (Watterson) is he’s a senior in high school. It just shows you his prowess and soccer savvy. His engine doesn’t quit,” Sorg said. “He’s just a quality individual and a really good player. We’re happy that he’s on our side.”
The Robins produced a few more shots on goal throughout the first half, but ultimately entered the break with just a 1-0 lead.
Tulip City found itself in an offensive standstill for most of the game, with LCFC’s defenders limiting their attackers’ chances. Center backs Myles Foster and Spencer Powe consistently cleared balls before they could reach goalkeeper Brooks Boersma, allowing him to keep a clean sheet.
“The back four and the goalkeeper were all really solid,” Sorg said. “I thought they were good not only in defending, but I thought we did a good job of distributing today, whereas I felt maybe previously we’ve been careless.”
Even with a 1-0 lead going into the halftime locker room, Sorg still saw areas for improvement, most notably the need to test Tulip City’s goalkeeper more often.
“It’s just hitting the right spaces in the box; goals are going to come, and just again, you’ve got to have trust. And that’s what we talked about,” Sorg said.
The Robins responded to that halftime message in the 76th minute, when a roller from Samy Omar, barely touched by Jack Heald, squeaked past the keeper and reached the left side of the net.
Sorg believed the goal broke the opponent’s spirit and secured LCFC’s first league win of the season, earning them three points in the standings. It was a result he was satisfied with, though he still sees room to grow.
“They (Tulip City United SC) had a little bit of fight, but I thought, all in all, it was a really good performance by our guys,” Sorg said. “As a coach, you’re always looking at, can we be cleaner in the final phase.”
LCFC will play their first road game of the season on Friday 5/23 at 7 p.m. in Grand Rapids against Midwest United FC, a team Sorg knows will be a challenge.
“I’m going to try to get eyes on them, but you know they’re going to be a good outfit,” Sorg said. “They’ve got a solid pool [of talent] to choose from on that side of the state, and I think they’ll be difficult.”
