1st minute: My keeper has to make an excellent play to stop a breakaway by Brian Rooney.
3 minute mark: Robert Morris gets a yellow card for tripping Rooney just outside the box.
9 minute mark: Cox gets the ball left of the box.. plays a lazy pass back to the keeper.. Rooney steals it in the 6 yard box.. the keeper didn't come out to meet the pass.. Rooney shoots.. upper right corner.. GOAL! Down 1-0
39 minute mark: Cox gets the ball outside the opposition's box.. passes it sharply into Vaughan who shoots from 8 yards out.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-1.
Halftime: 1-1 tie. There are over 20,000 fans here watching us today.
55 minute mark: Harding on for Taylor who is very tired.
63 minute mark: Gordon on for Vaughan and Moore on for Adams at right wing.
75 minute mark: Robert Morris gets his second yellow card for tripping Rooney! He is gone.. Tucker gets a yellow card for arguing the call. Collins argues the call.. he gets a yellow card too.
80 minute mark: Mark Tucker is body checked by Brian Flynn.. Tucker is hurt bad.. he has to come off. We've used all of our subs, so we have to go 2 men down now
I switch to a 3-4-1.
82 minute mark: John Collins elbows Brian Flynn! Red card for Collins! ARGGHHH!! We are now down 3 men and I have to play a 3-3-1.
90 minute mark: Elliott with a flurry of saves.
End of regulation. How much longer can we survive down 3 men?
Halftime: We are hanging on. I'm going to a 4-3 just trying to hang on until the shootout.
105 minute mark: Lee Roberts trips Keane. Yellow card for Roberts.
112 minute mark: Despite my instructions Gordon dribbles down the pitch and earns a corner kick.. they stop the kick easily.
117 minute mark: Gordon passes to Briggs in the box.. he shoots from 15 yards out.. over the bar.
We survived! We are going to a shootout! Do I have 5 guys who are at least somewhat decent penalty killers?
No, I only have one who is actually good and one who looks decent. The rest are horrible at penalty shots. I put my two best at the top.
1st up is Stuart Harding (my lone good penalty shooter).. He steps up confidently.. shoots.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.
Stephen Flynn steps up for them.. shoots.. lower right corner.. my keeper didn't have a chance. GOAL. 1-1.
Gordon steps up for me next.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. wide by a few inches.
Brian Flynn steps up confidently for them.. drills a shot into the upper left corner.. GOAL. Down 2-1.
Next up is Luke Briggs for me.. he looks confident.. he blasts a shot into the upper right corner! GOAL!!!! 2-2.
Mark O'Reilly steps up for them... shoots.. lower right corner.. GOAL. Down 3-2
Next up is Moore for me... he shoots.. upper right corner.. he hits the crossbar
Brian Brennan steps up with the chance to win for Ireland.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. Elliott dives... he can't reach it.. GOAL. We lost 4-2 on the shootout.