Matchweek 16 Review: Decisive Wins in Detroit & New Mexico

by NFPL

MATCHWEEK 16 REVIEW:
Decisive Wins for FFA in Detroit & Colorado in New Mexico

Detroit Imperial Futsal 6-7 futsal Factory Academy

Futsal Factory Academysecured a massive, decisive victory in Matchweek 16 on the road against Detroit Imperial Futsal. The win extends Futsal Factory Academy's winning streak to 5 games in a row as they have opened up a 5 point gap over Detroit Imperial Futsal in the pursuit of a playoff spot this season.

The two teams put on an excellent showing in a back-and-forth game that could have gone either way. FFA jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and went into halftime with a 4-3 advantage as Detroit Imperial stormed back. Thomas Dono had 4 goals on the night and 3 in the first half. On the other side, Manuel Conte put in a standout performance for Detroit Imperial, scoring twice and assisting once as Futsal Factory struggled to contain his quick feet on the offensive.

Late in the game, the scores were tied at 6 to 6, with Denin Oglecevac stepping up and finding the back of the net for Detroit Imperial. Just moments later, a nice flick from Drew Ducker found Ben Pritchard's run behind the defense and he squared the ball for Gui Ramos to tap in, who added an assist to build on his Player of the Week performance in Matchweek 15.

All in all, an excellent match and one that Futsal Factory Academy simply had to win if they were going to be in the playoff picture. They've done it and will be looking toward their final game of the season, an April 6th matchup at home against Detroit Imperial.

DETROIT IMPERIAL FUTSAL 8-7 Cadence SFC

A second game in two days for Detroit Imperial Futsal gave them the opportunity to bounce back from their loss the previous night as they hosted Cadence SFC, sitting on just one point (taken from Detroit Imperial) this season.

Detroit Imperial jumped out to an early lead, going up 2-0 before entering the halftime break with a 4-0 lead. Things looked like it would go the same as they had the week before for Cadence, who endured a torrid visit to Detroit as they were trounced by Futsal Factory with the game out of reach in the opening 10 minutes.

However, the second half was a different story! Detroit Imperial continued to pour on the goals, taking a 7-1 lead before entirely letting their foot off the gas.

To their credit, Cadence didn't give up and scored 5 unanswered goals, creating a 7-6 scoreline with under 10 minutes to play. With just a few minutes to play, after going scoreless for almost 15 minutes, Detroit Imperial unlocked the defense once more to go up 8-6. A 10-meter penalty was blazed wide by Imperial and they were punished as Cadence scored on the counter moments later to turn it into a one-goal game.

Detroit Imperial held on in the last few minutes to take all 3 points and doomed Cadence to a familiar story this season: great fight but no finished product.

BRUSA FUTSAL Club 6-5 New Mexico Flagship FC

To keep their season alive, BRUSA FC hosted New Mexico Flagship FC in a must-win encounter and succeeded narrowly.

New Mexico Flagship took advantage of an early card as they scored on a 4v3 situation, but it was quickly canceled out as BRUSA responded to tie the game a few minutes later and the two teams would go into halftime locked at 1-1.

The visitors took a 3-1 lead early in the second half and will be disappointed in how they squandered the lead. BRUSA came roaring back and took a 4-3 lead with under 5 minutes to play. They opened up a 5-3 lead with under 4 to play and it looked like they might run away with it.

New Mexico tied it at 5-5 with under 2 minutes to play and finally BRUSA found the killing blow, scoring the game-winning 6th goal with under 15 seconds to play!

A huge result for BRUSA and a tough loss for New Mexico who will feel that the performance perhaps merited more than they got from the game.

Santa Fe Gloom 6-10 Colorado Futsal Academy

Elsewhere in the Southwest Conference, the division leaders Colorado Futsal Academy visited New Mexico to take on Santa Fe Gloom in a big game for both teams. A win for Santa Fe at home would have been huge, pushing them into first place in the division. However, the loss keeps the door open for BRUSA and Flagship to beat them to a playoff spot.

An early lead for Santa Fe Gloom turned into a 2-2 halftime score before a bloodbath of a second half ensued. The visitors came out firing, jumping to a 7-2 lead and the Santa Fe Gloom supporters were looking gloomy.

As the home side scored two unanswered and kindled a bit of hope, Colorado extinguished it, scoring 3 unanswered to go up 10-4 as time ticked down.

A few consolation goals for the home side were not enough and Colorado took the win 10-6, propelling them into sole possession of first place in the Southwest with just two matchweeks to go. They also have a game in hand and will be looking to secure the win next week as they host New Mexico Flagship in Denver.

A LOOK AT THE TABLE AFTER MATCHWEEK 16:

Just two matchweeks remain to be played in the 2023/24 regular season! Detroit Imperial have a massive game in Matchweek 17 as they host division leaders Grand Rapids OLé. If they want to secure a playoff spot, they'll have to win there first before they end the season on the road against Futsal Factory.

In the Southwest, Colorado Futsal Academy have all but secured a first-place finish this season, barring a monumental collapse. Despite being in 3rd or 4th, New Mexico Flagship and BRUSA FC can both still secure that crucial second playoff spot if they win their remaining games.

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