JC MSFL DIVISION THREE
FC TEAM C 5 NORSTAR C 1
A hat-trick from DAVID JOSEPH COHEN helped FC Team C register their 13th league win of the season after putting Norstar C to the sword 5-1.
Further strikes from Eitan Ben-Zion and James Cooper sent Team back to the top of the table.
Daniel Polak's brilliant solo goal was nothing more than a consolation goal for Zack Gothelf's men, who will feel their effort and determination didn't match the result.
Stars were without last week's hat-trick hero Will Ufland, Alex Goodman and late withdrawals Dan Tannenbaum and Josh Younger through injury and illness, though on paper this was still a strong Norstar team, while FC Team were without regular midfield duo Rob Sanford and Dan Rothman.
The visitors started on top, pressing their title chasing hopes deep into their own half. The first meaningful chance of the half fell to Nick Haringman, whose shot failed to hit the target.
That miss proved to be crucial as from FC Team's next attack, the deadlock was broken. Cohen found himself some space down the left, turned Samuel and calmly slotted home.
In what was an otherwise equal opening 15 minutes, momentum immediately went in favour of the hosts, who found room to spray passes and push Norstar deeper into their own half. Though the achilles heel of Stars, their inability to defend set-pieces, put them further behind as the impressive Ben-Zion headed home from a corner, before Cohen found the room to slot home his second.
Norstar regrouped and looked to get back in the game in the second half, and their efforts were rewarded with a goal. Haringman set Polak free, who turned three Team players, before curling in a screamer from the edge of the penalty area.
Despite losing Jamie Breslaw in the build-up to the Norstar goal through injury, 10-man Team rallied, dug deep, weathered the storm (and not just from the snow) and their patience was rewarded with a superb counter-attacking goal.
Norstar's search for a way back into the game left them open, Collins found Cohen in the penalty area who put away his third at the second attempt, before Cooper calmly slotted home FC Team's fifth.
