Anyways, on to the good stuff now. Yesterday was by far the best game I've played in since joining the Tigers. I would say it shares this distinction with our thrilling week one victory over the Amager Demons, however I wasn't in action at the time. We played visitor to the Esbjerg Hurricanes, a team we narrowly defeated in late May by a margin of 7-0 and yesterday's contest proved to be a challenging affair yet again.
Esbjerg is a fairly industrial coastal community in the southwest of Jutland, known for its thriving harbor and fishing trade. Because of this, they are somewhat of a quandary of a football team. Depending on the month, they may or may not have their top players, as many of them work on oil rigs, fishing boats and various other offshore interests. These jobs last weeks at a time, making it tough for the 'Canes when these guys are away and tough on opponents when they are home. The last time we faced them, they happened to be down on players; something that benefited us then, as we were missing several key contributors, too. Yesterday, they still did not have a very large corps, however their leading players happened to be ashore for this game.
Adding to this fact, the Hurricanes have had some solid coaching throughout this season from two different American coaches. The first coach was at the helm the last time we faced each other and I could tell he was a fiery young man, who most importantly, knew football and could teach the game. He has since departed to take an offensive coordinator position at a Division II college back in the States and was replaced by another Yank, who most recently came from coaching in the Austrian Football League, one of the top leagues in all of Europe. Using what they have learned from these fellows, our opponents started strong and we soon found ourselves in unfamiliar territory.
After a scoreless first quarter for both squads, Esbjerg drew first blood with a long scoring drive that culminated in a TD run from about four yards out. The PAT was good and we trailed in a game for the first time since April 17th. This ended our defense's streak of scoreless quarters at twenty-seven, but it wouldn't be long before they regrouped and started anew. Unable to muster a response, we entered the half down 7-0. Prior to this there had been some long faces and chippy attitudes on our sidelines and we knew we were in a dogfight.
After some halftime soul-searching, the guys came out fired up and made the decision to not lose sight of what we've been doing all season long. We received the kickoff and went right to work, stringing together a long drive that finished in the Esbjerg endzone with a Brian Woodward TD reception. Following the PAT, the game was knotted at seven apiece. From this point on, it was a different ball game; our sideline now energized and involved. Both teams continued to battle hard until midway through the fourth, when QB Matthias Lilhauge found the endzone on a short scramble, giving us a 13-7 advantage. After a missed extra point, the score remained the same and we knew we had to dig in to preserve the W.
Despite a few long Esbjerg conversions and theatrics late in the game, the Tiger defense triumphed and now has a new scoreless streak of two quarters in the books. After the game, we recognized how we had come together to close the deal. That being said, we also acknowledged that the last two games we have upcoming will both be equally as tough and we will need to play better from the start in order to finish this things off the right way. The game's MVP was everybody's favorite American (Brian, of course, not me) who turned in a grown-man performance with at least ten catches (five or six of which went for first downs), a hundred yards and then some receiving and the aforementioned touchdown. This came as no surprise to me, as the night before the game, the Bri-guy told me he was going to have a big game and I believed him. He had the fire in his eyes and exuded the confidence of a thirty-five year-old, trapped in a thirty-seven year-old's body. In addition to his fine statistics, Brian also set the tone for us on the sidelines, stressing the importance of down and distance, which was indeed key in winning the game.
This week's "Moment" was a little harder to come by, considering our opposition was far less inept than in previous games. The same however, almost could not have been said for the laundromat responsible for washing the Hurricanes' jerseys. Just before we left the changing rooms for pregame warmups, someone informed me that the 'Canes hadn't yet received their uniforms from the cleaners. It must have been a very close call, as they took the field shortly thereafter in their gameday garb. Prior to that though, I was wondering what they would have done had this not been the case. In retrospect, probably best not to think about such 'could-have-beens.'
All in all, it was a heck of a fun game to play in and my hats off to Esbjerg for a good match. The increased level of competition was a rather refreshing change and I anticipate will better prepare us for our final two showdowns, the first of which coming in two weeks. Before I go, I'd like to leave you with an image from last night. Below is the aftermath of the death of my PhysioBall. No sooner did I click 'Publish Post' after finishing last night's entry, then did I hear a loud hiss coming from directly below me. Since my apartment, to the best of my knowledge is snake-free, I knew the end was near and that something very bad was coming very soon. As this thought left my head, a giant pop threw me to the floor and left my toe in the condition you now see. I must have caught it on the bottom of my desk. The troubles I go through to share my story with you all...
Jake needs a pedi!
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