What a match. What a morning. The Hawks came into this one knowing that only a win would keep their promotion hopes alive, and they delivered in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.
Riverside started brightly, pressing high and forcing goalkeeper Oscar into two early saves. Against the run of play, it was Grassroots who took the lead on 12 minutes. A neat one-two between Lily and Zach on the left freed Amir, whose low cross was turned in by Noah at the near post. 1-0.
Riverside responded well and equalised before the break through a well-worked free kick routine that caught the defence flat-footed. Half-time: 1-1.
The second half was end-to-end. Riverside took the lead on 38 minutes with a long-range effort that flew into the top corner — a goal worthy of winning any match. At 2-1 down, heads could have dropped, but Coach Mark gathered the squad and reminded them of everything they had worked on in training.
With five minutes remaining, substitute Ruby drove forward from midfield and played a perfectly weighted through ball to Amir, who finished calmly to level the scores. 2-2. The home crowd was on its feet.
Then, deep into added time, came the moment that will be talked about at every training session for weeks. A corner from Lily was half-cleared to the edge of the box, and Ethan met it on the volley. The ball flew into the bottom corner. 3-2. Absolute scenes.
Coach Mark Robinson said after the match: "I am so proud of this group. To come from behind like that takes real character and belief. Every single player gave everything today."
Player of the Match: Amir (1 goal, 1 assist, tireless running)
Next up: Away to Oakfield United, Sunday 16 March.