If you don’t know about Jeff Adkins, now would be the time to learn about the speedy striker.
Adkins (Butler University) scored the first two goals of Detroit City FC’s 4-0 stomping of the Indiana Fire on Sunday night at Cass Technical High School. The first tally was a joy to watch, as Adkins showcased an individual effort by weaving his way through two defenders before sliding the ball past Indiana goalkeeper — who also happens to be Adkins’ college teammate — Eric Dick.
“Me and Eric are good friends,” Adkins said. “He knows where I go, he knows how I play, but I came out on top and put two past him.”
Adkins’ second goal was arguably as skillful as his first, coming off a free kick from 25 yards outside the 18-yard box. Adkins placed a powerful, dipping shot over the wall and right past Dick to give Le Rouge the 2-0 lead in the 57th minute. He would never complete the hat trick, but likely deserved as much after finishing the match with eight shots.
Le Rouge would add two more goals in the final 21 minutes of the match to cap off one of its most lopsided victories of the season. Cyrus Saydee (Michigan State) and Shawn Lawson (Oakland) both scored off shots from the right side of the penalty area in the 69th and 89th minutes, respectively.
The Fire threatened with several sporadic chances throughout the match, but could only place three shots on target. DCFC goalkeeper Bret Mollon (Temple) enjoyed the relatively relaxing evening, stopping all three of Indiana’s chances on goal en route to his fourth clean sheet of the season.
With the victory, Detroit City FC moves within one point of first place in the Great Lakes West Conference, sitting in second behind the Indiana Fire. The good news for Le Rouge is that it still has four matches on its schedule, while the Fire will play just twice more.
The win at home marked the fourth victory of the season for City when it steps onto the pitch at Cass Tech. In those matches, DCFC has outscored its opponents by a staggering 11-2 margin.
“I think (today’s success) reflects the atmosphere of the entire Cass Tech facility,” Adkins said. “We have the greatest fans in the league, and we just feed off that energy.”
This week’s training will be in preparation for Friday’s game (July 4) at the Michigan Stars in Dearborn, Mich. The kickoff is at 10 p.m. Sunday, Le Rouge returns home to take on the Cincinnati Saints for a 1 p.m. start time.
