Beleaguered by injury and illness, Ionia was running out of duct tape as they played host to Charlotte in a divisional matchup. There were some new faces in the squad and it was all-hands on deck” as the Bulldogs continued to work through adversity.

This was another game that, despite the difference in team experience, we were very competitive. The effort by the players in this match was gritty. If we're honest, we probably should have come out on top in this one. As stated at the beginning of the season, this is a pretty young team that will need some time to develop which requires patience. They are growing.

• Diego Carlos (So.) really played a solid game and is looking to get more involved with his movement on and off the ball. He seemed to win the majority of his 1v1 battles for the ball as if he had super glue on his boots.

• With a lack of natural goalkeepers in the squad it's become a position by committee when illness or injury strikes. So, Alex Velasco (Fr) answered the call to step between the sticks and earn himself a 2nd half shutout. That showed a lot of character by the rookie to take on that responsibility.

Goals
1 - Derrick Santana (pen)

Overall Record: 1W-7L-1T
Division Record: 0W-4L-1T

Next Match: Thursday, Sept. 19 @ 5:30 pm @ St. Johns