2010 Camdenton Laker Shootout Champs
The Fulton Hornets are the 2010 Camdenton Laker Shootout champions. Coming off a 2-0 victory over West Plains on Friday night, the Hornets took on the Camdenton Lakers and the Lebanon Yellowjackets on Saturday. In a thrilling match that saw two overtimes, the Hornets defeated the Camdenton Lakers 6-5 in penalty kicks. In their final match, Fulton defeated Lebanon 4-0 to secure the tournament championship.
In what proved to be the tournament championship game, Fulton took on a very good Camdenton Laker squad in an epic back and forth match. From the opening whistle, Fulton came out full of energy. Quick passing combinations and a "first to the ball" mentality from Fulton kept the Lakers on the defensive. Fulton's reward came in the 32nd minute when Peter Plakorus carried deep into the Camdenton penalty box. Just before the endline, he was able to chip the keeper to provide a wide open Zach Thomas with a simple header on the back post. Fulton's lead proved to be short-lived as four minutes later, Camdenton capitalized on a header from a free-kick to tie the game.
In the second half Camdenton had the wind to their backs and a renewed energy to their play. A quarter of an hour into the half Camdenton took the lead off a deep run and cross to the back post. Fulton responded well. Minutes later Thomas was taken down just outside of the penalty box in the 62nd minute. Jake Pierce lined up the free-kick and struck a low, hard shot around the wall into the left side of the goal to tie the match at two goals apiece with just 18 minutes remaining. Camdenton seized the lead again just moments later when Fulton failed to deal with a loose ball in the box. The Hornets continue to battle and were rewarded with just 7 minutes remaining when a Laker handled the ball in the box. Pierce took the resulting penalty and powered a hard shot high into the net to knot the match (and everyone's stomachs) at 3-3.
After two sudden-death overtimes that saw few chances for either team, it came down to the dreaded penalty kicks. With memories of Fulton's penalty kick loss to Hannibal fresh in the fan's minds, there was a fair amount of trepidation among the Fulton fans going into the shootout. Both teams performed well from the spot, with Fulton having the slightest of advantages, namely stellar keeping from Nick Heimericks. After getting a hand on the first Camdenton shot, he served notice that their shots had to be well taken. This would prove decisive. After five rounds, the score was tied 4-4 (one Fulton shot was saved, while a Camdenton player missed altogether). The next two shooters both made their shots to keep the shootout level at 5-5. Dan McClure then scored in the next round putting all the pressure on Camdenton. When the next Camdenton player missed his shot, the Fulton team erupted in joyous celebration.
In the second match of the day, Fulton took on the winless Lebanon Yellowjackets. In a match best described as a "hangover game," the Hornets turned in a listless performance. They did take an early lead with a Sam Mayne goal in the 3rd minute. Coming up from his position in central defense, Mayne was able to latch onto a corner from Chad Davis and drive home his shot from close range. Fulton doubled their lead with 10 minutes left in the half when Darren Jones played a ball down the left flank to McClure. McClure drove to goal and was just able to poke the ball past the onrushing keeper. Despite the lead, the Hornets showed little quality. Poor passing and poor effort across the field made the first half a tough one on the eyes.
Fulton showed a little better in the second half. Despite tired legs, the Hornets increased their collective work rate and passed the ball slightly better than in the first. As in the first half, they continued to pepper the Lebanon goal, but the expected onslaught failed to materialize. Finally, in the 64th minute, Fulton scored again, when Jones centered a ball from the left and Thomas tapped in from close range. Fulton closed out the scoring in the 69th minute with arguably the prettiest goal of the tournament. Morgan Milligan played a free kick to Jones. Jones took the space given to him by Lebanon pn the left and then dropped the ball back to the advancing Milligan. Milligan struck a first time shot from 35 yards out that went left upper 90 past the outstretched arms of the keeper.
With the tournament championship, Fulton claimed its first tournament title since the 2005 Lebanon tournament. Fulton returns to action on Tuesday when they travel to play their "home match" against Boonville in Boonville.
