THUNDER BAY - The Thunder Bay Chill just weren’t themselves on Friday night.
With an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot on the line, the Chill couldn’t recover from an abysmal first half, and lost by a final score of 3-1 to Saint Louis FC U23.
The three goals against makes for a shocking total considering the Chill - in their first 11 games - only gave up four goals.
“A lack of concentration would be my best guess,” said head coach Giovanni Petraglia. “We came back from a good trip and conceded the first half totally.”
The chances were few and far between before St. Louis’ forward Elliott Goodwin buried a shot in the back of the net with his left foot at the 19 minute mark.
Before the Chill got their first real chance, St. Louis added to their lead after a mishandled ball bounced to the foot of Shane Strunk, who took advantage.
“They put a lot of pressure on the [midfielders],” said Chris Makengo in regards to the team’s struggles. “We didn’t play as a team. We played as one offense and one defense.”
The second half was a completely different story.
The Chill dominated possession, and their desperate style of play saw them outshoot St. Louis 16-2.
But their failure to capitalize plagued the Chill all night.
For their opponents, it was the opposite. Casey Bartlett-Scott headed home a corner kick at the 65 minute mark to make it a 3-0 game.
The lone Chill goal came courtesy of Makengo, who finally put one through after a blocked shot. Yet Makengo wasn’t pleased after the game.
“It’s really frustrating,” Makengo said. “I’m not happy at all because I missed a lot of chances.”
Petraglia wasn’t fixated on the missed opportunities on the offensive end, though. His frustrations came with the defensive breakdowns that put the Chill in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.
“We are the best defense in the league,” “We cannot be afraid of [their] forwards, it was a lack of concentration. Period.”
With the loss, the Chill fall to 7-2-3, but will still have another chance to clinch on Sunday against Chicago FC United.
“It’s going to be a crucial game for us,” Petraglia said.
The second-to-last game of the regular season will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Fort William Stadium.
