Another hot and humid night on the second day in October is unusual around these parts. However, the temperature was 94 degrees at the 6:00 p.m. start of the big match-up.

The huge advantage the Patriots have over the Ravens is their deep bench and ability to rotate players on and off the field to always keep fresh legs in the contest. This factor proved to become a major factor as the Patriots would wear down their opponent as the game progressed.

In the first half, Independence took an early lead when Ro Bik Lian scored a goal on an assist provided by teammate Jonny Mwembya who set Lian up nicely. The junior would blast a hard smash past the diving goalkeeper for his first goal only nine minutes into the match.

Lian would score his second goal of the game 24 minutes into the match on a blast from the right side of the net just outside the box on a nifty feed from teammate David Martinez who earned the assist for a 2-0 lead.

The Patriots controlled the tempo in the first half and the time of possession with most of the action being played on the Ravens defensive side of field with ten shot attempts and six shots on goal. They had one shot hit the right side post and fanned on an open net that looked like another score off a rebound from the goalkeeper.

In the second half, the Patriots continued their relentless offensive attack putting a lot of pressure on the Ravens defense. The rotation of fresh players and in particular midfielders and strikers paid off for Coach Tyler Gibson and his team. “We are improving with every game and, are playing much better and smarter making good decisions,” said Coach Gibson on the sidelines during the intermission.

The Patriots third score came on a smash by David Martinez 48 minutes into the game with the assist from Pablo Arguello to put the visitors up 3-0. The final score would occur on a breakaway by Ryan Howe who would drive a high rocket shot into the top corner on the right side of the net over the outstretched hands of the Ravens goalkeeper for a 4-0 comfortable advantage.

The Pats pounded 20 shots in the game with 9 shots on goal. The Ravens took only 5 shots with 3 shots on goal. Indy had 8 corner kicks and Rocky River had 2 in the contest. The statistics clearly show the Patriots dominance throughout the match.

Team          1st Half      2nd Half     Total

Patriots           2                 2                 4

Ravens            0                 0                 0