The Union made a big statement with a decisive win over the Titans 9-5, and The Arsenal won their first ever playoff game in an OT thriller against the Knights 7-6. In Saturday’s first match the Union got hat tricks from Dennis Russell and Shakii Pearman, and led 6-0 midway thru the second quarter. Russell scored two, Pearman scored a pair, and Kamen Tucker and Ryan Nesbitt also scored to give the Union the lead. Mikre Pace finally got the Titans on the board at the 13 minute mark of the second quarter. When Mark Steede scored seconds later it looked like the Titans were trying to get back into the game. Shakii Pearman ended any thought of a comeback, notching his hat trick with a back breaking goal just seconds before halftime to give the Union a 7-2 halftime lead. Dennis Russell secured his hat trick with the only goal of the third quarter, and Pearman would add a fourth tally in the final quarter for Union. The Titans got a goal from five different players. Pace and Steede were joined on the scoring sheet by Jesse Seymour, Darren Williams, and Kwonde Lathan. The Union now move on to play the Royal in Tuesday night’s first semifinal match. Game time is set for 7:15 pm. The Union lost goalkeeper Andrew JJombe in the third quarter to an ankle injury. Kemon Caisey took over in the third and finished the game in goal for the Union.

Saturday’s second quarterfinal match was a gem. Shawande Butterfield’s OT goal ended a see-saw battle and gave the Arsenal their first ever playoff win. Dwyia Blyden scored the match’s first goal 13 minutes into the first quarter. Ijahmon Mallory made it 2-0 in the third minute of quarter two. The Knights would respond scoring three goals in a two minute span of the second quarter. Quincy Aberdeen scored a shoot-out goal eight minutes into the quarter, then scored from a tough angle two minutes later. The Knights stole the restart and Vincent Minors found the back of the net just seconds later to give the Knights their first lead of the game 3-2. Minors’ goal held up thru the rest of the quarter and it was 3-2 Knights at the half. It was a back and forth affair in the second half. Reggie Lowe tied the game six minutes into the third quarter, then Ijahmon Mallory’s second goal made it 4-3 Arsenal. The Knights would come right back on goals from Coolidge Durham in the 11th minute and Vincent Minors’ second goal of the game in the 13th minute to restore the Knights one goal lead 5-4 after three quarters. Reggie Lowe scored two goals just seconds apart in the fifth minute of the fourth quarter. Lowe scored his second goal of the game on a shoot-out, then seconds later notched his hat trick and sent the Arsenal on top 6-5. It looked like Lowe would be the hero as Arsenal Goalkeeper Jason Smith made some stellar saves in the fourth quarter. Smith couldn’t stop Coolidge Durham’s strike with just under two minutes to play. Durham hit it from a tough angle and it deflected off of an Arsenal defender to tie the game at six. Both squads had great opportunities in the OT session, but it would be Shawande Butterfield’s strike from the left side of the net that would solve Knight Keeper Mikaal Crockwell and send Arsenal onto the Semifinals. Butterfield and the Arsenal cashed in on a 4-3 break and Butterfield found himself all alone to the left of Crockwell. He finished the strike and then went into a mad celebration with his teammates. Sliding on his belly for 30 feet to the midfield. The Arsenal will now play the League Champion Storm in Tuesday’s second semifinal match.  

SCORING SUMMARIES:

UNION VS. TITANS

1ST QUARTER

UNION                                KAMEN TUCKER                            4TH MINUTE                1-0 UNION

UNION                                RYAN NESBITT                              8TH MINUTE                2-0 UNION

UNION                                DENNIS RUSSELL                        12TH MINUTE               3-0 UNION

2ND QUARTER

UNION                               SHAKII PEARMAN                           5TH MINUTE               4-0 UNION

UNION                               SHAKII PEARMAN                           6TH MINUTE               5-0 UNION

UNION                               DENNIS RUSSELL                         10TH MINUTE               6-0 UNION

TITANS                              MIKRE PACE                                 13TH MINUTE               6-1 UNION

TITANS                              MARK STEEDE                              13TH MINUTE               6-2 UNION

UNION                               SHAKII PEARMAN                        14TH MINUTE               7-2 UNION

3RD QUARTER

UNION                              DENNIS RUSSELL                          7TH MINUTE               8-2 UNION

4TH QUARTER

TITANS                             JESSE SEYMOUR                            1ST MINUTE               8-3 UNION

UNION                             SHAKII PEARMAN                                                             9-3 UNION

TITANS                             DARREN WILLIAMS                                                          9-4 UNION

TITANS                            KWONDE LATHAN                                                             9-5 UNION

GAME 2 KNIGHTS VS. ARSENAL

1ST QUARTER

ARSENAL                          DWYIA BLYDEN                           13TH MINUTE             1-0 ARSENAL

2ND QUARTER

ARSENAL                          IJAHMON MALLORY                       3RD MINUTE             2-0 ARSENAL

KNIGHTS                          QUINCY ABERDEEN (SO)               8TH MINUTE             2-1 ARSENAL

KNIGHTS                          QUINCY ABERDEEN                      10TH MINUTE            2-2 TIE

KNIGHTS                          VINCENT MINORS JR.                   10TH MINUTE            3-2 KNIGHTS

3RD QUARTER

ARSENAL                         REGGIE LOWE                               6TH MINUTE             3-3 TIE

ARSENAL                         IJAHMON MALLORY                        9TH MINUTE             4-3 ARSENAL

KNIGHTS                         COOLIDGE DURHAM                     11TH MINUTE             4-4 TIE

KNIGHTS                         VINCENT MINORS JR.                   13TH MINUTE             5-4 KNIGHTS

4TH QUARTER

ARSENAL                        REGGIE LOWE (S0)                        5TH MINUTE             5-5 TIE

ARSENAL                        REGGIE LOWE                                5TH MINUTE             6-5 ARSENAL           

KNIGHTS                        COOLIDGE DURHAM                      13TH MINUTE            6-6 TIE

OVERTIME

ARSENAL                       SHAWANDE BUTTERFIELD               8TH MINUTE             7-6 ARSENAL