​Bookend goals by Satosek lead Huron United to victory in playoff match against Suspects SFC

Coming off a 6-5-3 record in the Tri-City Men's Soccer League regular season, the Huron United Football Club opened its playoff campaign, Sept. 2, at Spinrite Field in Listowel against Suspects SFC of Grand River.

Huron United bounced back from a recent run of underwhelming results with a convincing 2-0 win.

Manager Anirudha Panditrao implored his squad to start the match strong, given that the Suspects managed to field only a starting 11 with seconds to spare before kick-off.

Co-captain Gerrit Satosek clearly internalized the message, forcing a turnover deep in Suspects territory 30 seconds into the match. Huron United worked the ball around to fullback Angus Sharpe, who laid an incisive ball into the box to unlock Satosek behind the backline. With space to work with, Satosek sent the keeper the wrong way and buried the chance into the bottom left corner to give Huron United a 1-0 lead just under a minute into the game.

Fullback Anderson Wolfe helped maintain Huron United’s momentum off the goal with his indefatigable sprints up and down the left flank. Fresh off a suspension, centre-back Masoom Saromie helped restore order on the backline with his calm distribution and command of space.

When the Suspects did advance into the attacking third, the backtracking efforts of midfielders Drew Cobean and Flynn Colwell-Castles helped relieve pressure with timely clearances, and keeper Josh Coleman cleaned up any chances that made it through to the Huron United goal. Huron United held the 1-0 lead into halftime.

Fullback Ryan Carty continued his stand-out performance into the second half, making excellent decisions in possession and harassing his mark on defence. On the offensive end, Cobean, along with midfielders Ryan Schriek, Colwell-Castles, James Jeffreys, and Andrew Wiegersma combined to generate a series of high-quality chances with a formidable counterattack.

Cobean was cumulatively six inches from a hat-trick, with very near misses that evaded the Suspects keeper but couldn't quite find the back of the net. Despite the sustained pressure, Huron United struggled to add an insurance marker and the Suspects were emboldened by the knowledge that they were only a shot away from a potential penalty shoot-out as the game entered the closing stages.

In the end, it was Satosek who stepped up to see Huron United through to the next round. Moments after he was brought down on a potential breakaway, Satosek ran down a Suspects back-pass and forced a turnover, then beat the keeper on a solo effort seconds before the full-time whistle, cementing the 2-0 victory.

Satosek was the near-unanimous Man of the Match for his goals in the first and last minute of the game and relentless effort throughout. Honourable mentions went to the omnipresent Cobean and R. Carty for his best performance of the season.

The Huron United FC, based out of Saugeen Shores United Football Club, will advance to the next round of the playoffs to face Simba FC in Listowel, Tuesday, Sept. 9th. The squad features players from Kincardine, Port Elgin, and surrounding areas. For team updates, visit kdslsoccer.com.