O'Fallon Flames Archives

10.14.06 : The Unbeaten Streak Continues

The O'Fallon Flames set off on the road recently in the Valley of the Flowers for a league match with Tim Boone and his Florissant United club. Last season Florissant finished third in the SLSL while O'Fallon finished fourth. But it was a distant fourth and the Flames were looking to close the gap between the two sides.

Things looked promising as the Flames gained control of the opening center off and brought the ball down the left wing and found the back of the net just over a minute in to the match. Afraid to wake a sleeping giant, O'Fallon quickly turned to the defensive and the Flames keeper was forced to withstand a barrage of shots from all angles. At the 5 minute mark United leveled the match at 1. The Flames were content to take the 1-1 score into the locker room at halftime and make the necessary adjustments. O’Fallon came out flying in the second half and had 3 quality chances to take the lead. But after 2 quick counter attacks from Florissant at the midway point of the second half, the Flames turned their strategy to defense and focused on getting the point on the road. After regulation and extra time, the O’Fallon Flames had done what few in the SLSL have done and grabbed a valuable point on the road in Florissant! “I couldn’t be happier with our clubs performance this afternoon.” Flames manager Jeff Drake said after the match. “This is a landmark day in our clubs history. Getting a draw with one of the top players in our league is a huge milestone.”

After the match Drake was rewarded with a contract extension from Flames management. Contract terms were undisclosed, but sources close to the organization report the deal to be a 2 year extension worth $3.5 million.

The Flames took off on the road again this week. This time against newcomers River City and Fox Hill. O’Fallon was looking to built off their impressive draw with Florissant and remain unbeaten. The first match of the double-header was against River City and their manager Kristen Postle. Strong defense is the staple of the Rockers and their play in the first half proved that to be true again. It wasn’t until a quick strike with only seconds left on the clock did the Flames finally break through. Building off the late goal, O’Fallon found the twine two more times in the second half and when the smoke cleared the Flames had emerged victorious with a 3-0 win.

Up next was new rival Justin Postle and Fox Hill United. “United has been getting better every match.” Drake said at the pre-match press conference. “We’re going to have to be in our best form if we expect to get a good result tonight.” Attempting to absorb the fast paced attacking style of Fox Hill, the Flames played solid defense and counter attacked very well. The result, a 2-0 halftime lead. In the second half O’Fallon were forced to play a more defensive style due to United’s relentless attack. But the Flames backline held tight and when the evening was over O’Fallon had a 2-0 victory and 2 well deserved road wins.

With a 5-0-1 record, the Flames still find themselves atop of the SLSL standings table.