NFPL Matchweek 2 Review

by NFPL

Matchweek 2 of the 2022/23 NFPL season is in the books! All in all, we experienced once of the rare weekends where home court advantage didn't have a significant impact on the results! Details to follow.

Men's Division

Futsal Factory Academy 3-5 Grand Rapids OLé
The Michigan Derby

In front of a loud crowd in Michigan, reigning champions Grand Rapids OLé took home all three points on the road against Futsal Factory Academy. Both teams fielded experienced sides with returners like GK Robert Damron and Drew Ducker leading for FFA and Cole Russell and GK Miguel Cervantes for GRO. 


The home team would take a lead midway through the first half with a left footed strike directly in front of the goal smashed beyond Cervantes: 1-0 to FFA. OLé would answer through an Alexis Mendez goal to go into the halftime break tied at 1 goal apiece. 


Mendez would score his second of the night early in the second half with a nice finish after breakaway for a 1-on-1 situation against Damron. A goal from Futsal Factory youngster Thomas Dono would tie the game at 2 each with a nice run behind the defender to tap in after a slick inbounds play from the home side. 


However, OLé would not be denied. Russell get on the scoresheet with a classic Russell finish: left footed, far post, across the goalkeeper. Daniel Diaz would create a two goal lead for the visitors with the goal of the night and likely goal of the month nominee, dummying the ball and continuing his run to the back post for a tap in. 


Russell would get his second of the night to turn the lights off on Futsal Factory, robbing Damron (playing high up court to make up ground) to tap in on an empty net. A late-game penalty from FFA's Nik Djokic wouldn't be enough to rescue the game. 

Futsal Indy 5-11 Joy Athletic

After last week's beatdown, the home side Futsal Indy were able to put up a better showing against the visiting Joy Athletic. Despite it, Joy Athletic improved to 2-0 on the season with a composed performance. 


Futsal Indy took an early lead with a penalty dispatched by Diego Lemus and the opening minutes were competitive and closely-fought. However, after about 7 minutes, Bennett Kouame said "enough is enough." A penalty in the 12th minute was followed up with an open play goal later on in the 12th minute to take the lead. A response from Futsal Indy tied it in the 9th, but two more goals for Kouame before halftime sent them into the break with a 4-2 lead.


Futsal Indy would start the second half with another goal, again by Lemus, but it would be answered less than a minute later by Andrew Njogu. Further goals were traded between teams until Joy Athletic scored 4 unanswered to close out the game. Kouame ended with 5 goals, with Siddiq Madson-Keita, Andrew Njogu, and Griffen Price each bagging 2. 

Cadence SFC 1-7 FC Tryzub

Battling for bragging rights in Chicago in Matchweek 2 were Cadence SFC and FC Tryzub, with both teams opening their season hoping for a win. Unfortunately for the home side, this was one-way traffic. 

FC Tryzub showed up with a deeper, stronger, faster, and more skillful team that looks ready to compete with Joy Athletic at the top of the Western Conference. Four goalscorers for FC Tryzub spread the scoring around, with #2 Bohdan Ruchka catching the eye and taking the man of the match award with quick feet, excellent dribbling, and lethal finishing that resulted in 3 goals. 

Cadence's Matthew Szklarz would get their only goal after a neat give and go and a tidy finish. 

Women's DIVISION

FUTSAL FACTORY ACADEMY 7-6 GRAND RAPIDS OLÉ
THE MICHIGAN DERBY

Kicking off just 20 minutes after the men for the National Futsal League's Women's Division debut were Futsal Factory Academy and Grand Rapids OLé. The two teams fought terrifically in an evenly-matched battle with the home side edging out a narrow victory for all 3 points. 

Futsal Factory opened the scoring after just two minutes with a one-touch finish from Ricketts off a corner kick. Meza would answer for GRO, robbing a Futsal Factory defender before rounding the keeper to finish on the empty net: 1-1. 

About halfway through the first half, Futsal Factory took the lead again, with Dollison racing onto a loose ball before unleashing a ferocious finish past the OLé goalkeeper. OLé would answer in the following minutes from two goals by Huerta and Koelling to steal the lead with a lethal left-footed finish into the top corner and a flick at the near post following a free kick. Koelling would get her second of the half with a brilliant right-footed finish into the far corner from 20m, another goal of the month nominee from Grand Rapids OLé.

With a two goal lead, OLé were looking and playing well. Just before the halftime break, a slick give-and-go gave Dollison a second goal to boost FFA going into halftime. With the visitors holding a narrow 4-3 advantage, surely Futsal Factory were thinking they couldn't lose both matches at home, could they?

The ladies of Futsal Factory had some fight left in them. They would score the next four goals in the game following the halftime break. A save from a Dollison shot was blocked by the keeper, only to be swept home by Nicole Grimaldo. Niomi Grimaldo would get the next after a brilliant save from the FFA goalkeeper Brooklyn Harding led to a fast break give-and-go and a nice finish into the bottom right corner. A heavily-deflected own goal snuck past the OLé goalkeeper for goal number 6, before Ricketts buried an excellent finish into the top corner to take a 3-goal lead. 

Credit to the ladies from OLé, they had some fight in them as well. Two late goals from Khloe Koelling would bring her tally to 4 for the night and the score to 7-6, but it wouldn't be enough. A great game from Harding between the FFA posts ensured all 3 points for the home side in their season opener.

A LOOK AT THE TABLE AFTER MATCHWEEK 2:

Joy Athletic solidify their hold at the top of the West, while OLé join Columbus atop the East. Futsal Factory Women take an early lead in the Women's Division. 

THE NFPL RETURNS...

The NFPL is back for Matchweek 3 this coming weekend! We've got four games on Saturday, December 17th.

Saturday, December 17th:

Women's Division:

Men's Division

Follow along and stay tuned here and on the National Futsal Premier League social platforms for coverage, previews, highlights, and more.