The Hornets dropped a tough one to the Hannibal Pirates on Thursday evening. Tied 1-1 after two overtimes, the Pirates prevailed in penalty kicks, 3-1.
Playing in Columbia due to wet field conditions in Fulton, the match was a tough one between two evenly matched teams. Fulton had the better of play in midfield, while Hannibal's forward line created more dangerous chances. Despite some early chances created on the Hornets' right flank, it was Hannibal who struck first. A driven shot from the top of the box beat a diving Dan McClure to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. Minutes later, Fulton had a golden chance to level the score, but the keeper was able to smother the low shot from Jake Pierce.
In the second half, Fulton was finally rewarded for its work in midfield. Taking a throw-in from the left side, Pierce dribbled through the Hannibal defense and cracked a shot from 30 yards out. The swerving shot fooled the keeper and went into upper right side of the net. As the game wore on, both teams were increasingly content to play a more direct style and get the ball quickly to their forwards in search of the game winner. Tired legs soon led to tired minds. Both teams resorted to shots from distance, but these were easily dealt with by the defenses.
The same pattern continued into the two 10-minute overtime periods. With the final whistle came the dreaded penalty kicks. Unfortunately for the Hornets, it was a round of shooting that they would rather forget. While the Pirates made all three of their shots, only one of the Hornets' shooters was able to score. A missed shot and two clanking shots off the goal frame doomed the Hornets' chances and led to the Hannibal victory.
Fulton returns to action on Tuesday when they travel to Moberly.
