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Verwood v. Libertas Omnium Maximus

Fifth-ranked Verwood took on eighth-ranked Libertas Omnium Maximus in a close-fought match at Parc de Noblesse in Althea. Verwood's dynamic offense, led by the trio of Lake, Mitchell, and Hunter, was highly regarding coming into the match, while Libertan goalie Johan Vanderbilt was considered among the IDUFC's best. Libertas won the coin flip to start with ball possession, and opened up the match aggressively, clearly hoping to 'park the bus' after scoring. The Libertans gave Verwood a scare early on, as midfielder Andrew Posvak got in a shot on goal from a dangerous angle, which Verwoodian goalkeeper Tim Olney saved. Throughout the first half, Verwood's midfield seemed off balance, unable to bring the ball upfield. At the 40th minute, LOM's Luke Brookshire, advancing the ball towards the enemy goal made a shot which was deflected by defender Bruno Coviello's head, only for LOM's Yasuf Majin to receive the ball and shoot it into the Verwoodian net, bringing the score to 1-0 by halftime.

Verwood rallied at halftime, quickly bringing the ball upfield. In a memorable play at 54 minutes, striker Gary Lake received the ball and sprinted upfield, outpacing the Libertan defenders in his path before passing to Ethan Hunter, who scored despite a dive by Johan Vanderbilt, bringing the score to 1-1. Play continued cautiously for much of the remaining half, with Verwood seeking to set up another dash towards the goal only to be foiled by Libertan midfielders such as Brock Mueler. It was looking as if the game would proceed to extra time when, in the 90th minute, Verwood received a corner kick, which was taken by Danny Wells. Wells passed to Verwood's David Mitchell, who, with defenders converging on him, fired a beautiful shot into the net, just past goalkeeper Vanderbilt's outstretched fingers. The final score was Verwood, 2; Libertas Omnium Maximus, 1. Verwood will play United New England in the semifinals.