AC Boise flips the script on stingy FC Naples to win again at home
AC Boise’s free-flowing attacking style of soccer came up against one of its biggest challenges of the season yet on Wednesday night, when the defensively stout FC Naples visited town for a USL League One regular-season match-up.
Naples arrived in Boise three points ahead of the hosts and with a league-leading four clean sheets, having shipped just 10 goals all season, thanks to a rigid back five anchored by USL veteran center back Luca Mastrantonio.
Everything pointed to a potentially long evening for Boise in front of a fourth-straight sell-out crowd. But Boise did the one thing that could crack the game open before Naples got too comfy: score an early goal.
Forward Thomas Amang scored his first goal in a Boise kit in the 8th minute from close range to lift any pressure from the home side early on. His early strike helped Boise on the way to a 2-0 victory, with substitute forward Joseph Hanson putting the game to bed with a deflected goal in the 82nd minute.
“Especially in the first 20 minutes, we just talked about piling as much pressure on their box as possible,” AC Boise head coach Nate Miller said after the game. “I think our environment here, and just everything, can feel overwhelming for the opponent. And so we just want to start really sharp.”
The result vaults Boise into fourth place in the USL League One standings, just three points behind second-placed One Knoxville FC and with a game in hand.
Boise’s memo from the first whistle was clear: attack the wings and send dangerous crosses into the box. Naples’ tight back five with two deep-sitting midfielders clogged up the middle of the park, making it difficult for Boise to create any chances once the visitors got set in position.
So when attacking midfielder Nick Moon carried the ball down the left wing in the eighth minute, AC Boise bodies began rushing into the box.
Moon laid the ball off to wing back Charlie Adams, who sent a deep inswinging cross from the edge of the box to the back post. Right wing back Jonathan Ricketts beat his man to bring down the ball cleanly before slotting a low pass into the six-yard box for Amang to pass the ball home into an empty net.
“I thought our left side gave them a lot of problems, made them change their shape,” Miller said. “Overall, I think the first half was exactly what we wanted to look like, and I’m really happy with the players.”
Amang won the man of the match award and said that the goal was big for his confidence as he continues into a busy May that sees AC Boise play seven games.
Despite falling 1-0 down early, Naples kept its shape for the next hour, allowing Boise to control much of the tempo even though its second goal didn’t come until late in the game. A pair of AC Boise free kicks from close range narrowly went over the crossbar, while Amang and center back Jake Dengler saw a pair of headers saved.
Dengler was playing against his old club on Wednesday, having played a crucial role in helping FC Naples reach the USL League One semifinals last season.
Dengler, a towering 6-foot-5 brick wall at the center of Boise’s defense, has quickly become a fan favorite — he earned a new chant from the fans on Wednesday, which featured a certain explicit beginning with the letter F sandwiched in the middle of his name.
“I can’t say the chant, but it definitely adds a little hype, and it makes me want to stay out there,” Dengler said, who was nursing an injured shoulder postgame. “... Hearing that in the background just makes you want to keep going, keep fighting for them.”
It wasn’t until around the 60th minute that Naples began to press up the pitch, but the hosts gave Naples a taste of their own medicine. An unforgiving AC Boise defense didn’t afford Naples a single clear-cut chance, and with the visitors pressing for an equalizer, Boise put the result beyond doubt.
Not long after coming on as a substitute, Hanson cut inside from the left wing and showed some fancy footwork to get past his defender before his cross bounced off a Naples defender and into the back of the net in the 82nd minute.
The Canadian-born forward is the first player from the Yukon to sign a professional soccer contract and scored his first goal for Boise on Wednesday.
“He’s improved a lot since his first couple of substitute appearances,” Miller said. “He’s a unique big man. He’s not just a target man; he’s got good feet and he can really carry the ball.”
AC Boise will remain at home for a quick turnaround home game against USL Championship side Monterey Bay FC on Saturday in the USL Cup. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
