Written By Zion Williams 

The Bobcats sealed a convincing 4-1 win over Savannah Clovers FC Saturday evening at home, before getting on the road for a stretch of away games on the West Coast and in the Midwest. The team was hungry for the win after suffering a tough loss to Chattanooga the previous Saturday. 

Andrew Wivell wasted no time, opening the scoring for the Bobcats in the 6th minute of play. The goal came after Filip Burnett found Darwin Espinal just outside the 18-yard box, who lobbed it over the defense for Wivell to slot it in the bottom corner of the net. 

The Clovers almost opened their account with a shot from just in front of the half field line, catching Goalkeeper Alexander Sutton off guard and nearly dropping in below the crossbar. However, soon after, the center referee pointed to the penalty spot when the Clovers forward Joel Bunting was brought down in the box. Alexandros Lerides tied the game 1-1, converting the penalty kick in the 18th minute. 

The Bobcats responded in the 40th minute of play after some combination play between Espinal and James Filerman down the left side of the field. Espinal found Filerman with a pass as he was overlapping, who returned the ball back to Espinal. Cutting past a defender, he placed the ball in the bottom right corner with composure to give the Bobcats the 2-1 lead. Two minutes later, Wivell found Espinal on the left wing, who cut inside and curled it just inside the far post, scoring his second of the night and the Bobcats third in the 42nd minute.

The Bobcats maintained control and the half finished 3-1 in favor of the Bobcats. The Bobcats made one substitution at halftime, as Mohammed Conteh subbed in. The Clovers made two changes at halftime, as Sonny Quintanilla and Theo Wichmann subbed in to try and make a dent in the deficit

In full control of the game, the Bobcats held the Clover to minimal chances, as they aimed to manage the game and run the clock down. The Bobcats would make a double substitution in the 70th minute, as Youness Madad and Pierre Richard subbed in to help secure the win. Ahdan Tait and Ben Mackay also subbed in for the Clovers in the 70th minute, followed by Malik Thom coming in for the Bobcats in the 71st minute. 

Six minutes later, The Bobcats would score their fourth and final goal. After a giveaway from the Clovers goalkeeper, Wivell found Manuel González just outside the 18-yard box, who found the back of the net, making it 4-1 in the 77th minute. 

The match ended as a 5-1 victory for the Bobcats. The result marked the Bobcats 5th league win of the season and keeps them in second place in the NISA league standings. Head Coach Alex Kao and his players will look to continue their form on the road over the next few weeks. The Bobcats next game is at Albion San Diego on Thursday, June 15th. 

Match Details

Maryland Bobcats FC 

Sutton (GK); Burnett, Mansour (45’), Forka, Filerman; Possian (70’), Gonzalez, Wivell (79’); Espinal (70’), Likulia (71’), Bustamante 

Substitutions: Conteh (45’), Richard (70’), Madad (70’), Thom (71’), Sotarello (79’) 

Goals: Wivell (6’), Espinal (40’ 42’), Gonzalez (77’)

Savannah Clovers FC 

Pondy (GK); De Leon, Hunt, Wright (45’); Barrowman, Moyers (45’), Hargreaves, Vaughn; Lerides (70’), Bunting (78’), Sanchez (70’) 

Substitutions: Quintanilla (45’), Wichmann (45’), Tait (70’), Mackay (70’), Pomozov (78’)

Goals: Lerides (18’)

Bookings: Hunt (76’)