Brutal Conditions Doom Dragons

The Haverford Dragons had been at the mercy of extreme weather conditions Saturday.

The temperatures were in the high 90s and the humidity combined to create a heat index near 110 degrees. Add to this the fact that the Dragons had no substitutes for the first two mini-matches, and it's no wonder they struggled without a victory on the day.

The first opponent was the confusingly named Ukrainian Nationals Fighting Irish, a Division 1 team which, fortunately for the Dragons was also without substitutes. That match ended 2-0 to the Ukrainians.

The second match was a different story as the Dragons managed to score their first goal of the tournament, and actually took the lead 1-0 against Radnor Deportivo courtesy a Kevin Toal strike which was well taken from the right side of the penalty area.

But Radnor had a full bench, and once they had leveled terms, used their fresher legs to outpace the weary Dragons, 5-1.

In the third mini-match of the day, the Dragons managed a nil-nil draw against Wilson Bulldogs in a scrappy contest, and were grateful for the arrival of their one and only substitute, Chernitsky.

It still proved too much for the Dragons however, as Gallagher, who had been playing throughout the day, waned as the day wore on, rendering that substitution nearly void.

Heartbreak was on tap in the final match of the day, a full-length contest, against Harleysville Hurricanes.

Again, the Dragons managed to edge in front midway through the first half when Cordrey converted from the penalty spot after he had been brought down by what initially looked an innocuous challenge.

Confusion ensued as the referee clearly had lost the plot of the match and resorted to arguing with groups of parents stationed along the touchline.

Cordrey held his nerve, however, and although the Harleysville keeper managed to get fingers to it, the ball crossed the line.

More arguing among the referee and the parents ensued, but the goal stood.

Nevertheless, Harleysville managed to level terms and forced overtime. Once there, it seemed only a matter of time before Harleysville, with plenty of substitutes, would take advantage of the fatigue which was crippling the Dragons, and score the winner. That is preccisely what they did about 4 minutes into the extra session.