Special thanks to David Gubala (@DavidGubala) from Goal.com for live updates and match report.
BRIDGEVIEW, IL – On a cold, rainy, Saturday afternoon, AAC Eagles came away with a satisfying 4-1 victory over RWB Adria at the Toyota Park practice field in Bridgeview, Illinois. The match was the final USASA Region II play-in match for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the region’s second berth. Piotr Kolasinski as the man of the match with a hat-trick on the day.
AAC Eagles now progress to the US Open Cup along with previous Region II qualifier Iowa Menace, who advanced with a 7-1 victory in the First Round. The AAC Eagles came up came up short on the goal differential format utilized to determine a qualifier from three contests, winning 7-2 against FC Indiana while RWB Adria downed Detroit United 6-4 in overtime.
Knowing what was at stake, both teams threw in everything they had from the get-go. Adria broke the deadlock in the early minutes of the game when Boris Smoljan slotted the ball home in the seventh minute off a well-played through ball.
Not much later, the Eagles struck back. Forward Mariusz Napiorkowski crossed a well-driven ball to Kolasinski, who headed past the keeper to level terms in the 14th minute.
Midway through the first half Mark Golik broke away to see him one-on-one with the keeper. The captain did well for himself and slotted it inside Adria’s far post to take the lead in the 38th minute.
After the break, things started to get a little hectic and controversial. Adria goalkeeper handled the ball with his hands outside the box and was given a straight red. However, after much debate, the referee negated the call, rescinding the red card.
This sparked high emotions off the Eagles’ bench. With a plethora of attacking play, the Eagles would eventually earn a penalty kick. Kolasinski put it away, giving the Polish side a 3-1 lead 10 minutes into the second stanza.
Nearing the end, the Eagles were given a free kick just outside the box and the local hero of the night, Kolasinski, was perfect in the spotlight yet again in the 75th. He managed to curl it past the Adria keeper for a hat-trick, giving his club a resounding 4-1 lead.
“We played good, organized football,” said Eagles manager Mike Bechtold. “We didn’t give up any silly fouls and were able to play according to our plan.”
About the AAC Eagles
A Polish club from the Metropolitan Soccer League, the AAC Eagles returned to prominence a year ago when they ended state rival RWB Adria’s three-year reign as champions. The 1990 US Open Cup champions defeated RWB Adria 2-0 in the Illinois state qualifier the previous November before knocking out Minnesota entrant Fire SC in the Region II Quarterfinals, 8-3. The side was then eliminated in the Final Four via penalties 4-2 by KC Athletics after a 3-3 draw. The two matches took place at MLS venues, playing at Toyota Park’s training field and in a doubleheader with the Kansas City Wizards. This year, AAC Eagles were seeded as host of the Illinois Final as defending champion, and defeated Viking AA 2-1 to retain the state crown.
The Eagles have qualified for the tournament four times (1995, 2002, 2005, 2008) in the Professional Era (1995-present), but have fallen in the opening round all four times. Three of the four games have been against professional opponents.
Scoring Summary:
RBW Adria: Boris Smoljan – 7
AAC Eagles: Piotr Kolasinski – 14
AAC Eagles: Mark Golik – 38
AAC Eagles: Piotr Kolasinski – pen. 55
AAC Eagles: Piotr Kolasinski – 75
