When Flint City Bucks star Oliver Moller-Jensen scored the match’s only goal just under three minutes into stoppage time, in addition to celebrating, coach Paul Doroh also experienced another emotion: relief.
The Bucks defeated Ventura County Fusion 1-0 on July 26 to advance to the USL League 2 national championship on August 1. The team had several good scoring chances throughout the game: Jack Roman made a great move to get what looked like a can’t-miss shot before a Ventura defender made a great play to deflect the ball, an attempt by Remi Agunbiade in the first half bounced just outside of the goal, and other shots and passes were just slightly off throughout the game despite the Bucks consistently putting pressure on the Ventura defense.
But the team finally broke through nearly half way through the approximately five minutes of added time at the end of the match. After a lengthy stoppage due to Ventura County’s keeper falling down and needing assistance from the trainer, play resumed with Richie Ludwig taking a pass from Jordy Lopez after Lopez ran down a loose ball and finding Moller-Jensen for the score.
“It was a bit of a relief because we were kind of around it the entire game, and they just kept pushing all the way through the end there, and it just felt like it was gonna come eventually,” Doroh said. “We weren’t quite sure how it was gonna happen, but I felt like we kept our foot on the gas. We flipped sides with Ollie and brought him over to the left side and brought Ritchie on, who’s a little more right foot dominant, so we put him out there so he could do exactly what he did, bring the ball across the box, and Ollie found the back of the net.”
For Moller-Jensen, scoring a late game-winning goal was something that he – like all young athletes – dreamt of happening in his career.
“It’s an unreal feeling,” Moller-Jensen said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. This team is always fighting. We play until the final whistle, and we never give up on any single play, so I’m very proud to be able to help this team.”
The goal was Moller-Jensen’s 10th of the season, which leads the Bucks. The team has had a knack for scoring all season, but it has been a stout defense that has separated the Bucks. That has been particularly clear in the playoffs, with Flint now outsourcing opponents 9-1 in four matches. Keeper Steve Clark and his veteran leadership have provided a positive addition to the squad, but the defense has actually kept him pretty comfortable in goal because they’ve been so effective at controlling the midfield.
Against Ventura, even when the team made a couple of rare defensive miscues, their ability to recover prevented any major scoring threats from arising.
“They were good defensively again,” Doroh said. “Even the moments that were dangerous weren’t super dangerous. Steve didn’t have to make any big time saves. Even when they were in our final third, we were able to keep them pushed back from our goal and give Steve a good look at anything that he was gonna have to make a save on. We had a couple of the timely blocks from the guys, and so did they on Jack Roman. I thought that (Roman’s shot) was gonna be the one that ended the game, but fantastic play from that young man (on Ventura) and that’s what it’s all about, guys competing at the highest level.”
Moller-Jensen said that the strength of the defense has consistently made things easier for the offense all season, creating pressure and turnovers that lead to scoring opportunities.
“Our defense is extraordinary,” Moller-Jensen said. “There aren’t many words that can describe them. Without them, we wouldn’t have been in the position we were in at the end today.”
Another advantage for the Bucks all weekend was a raucous home crowd that included the always passionate River Rats supporter section, the Hamady High School marching band, and thousands of fans for matches on July 24 and 26. That crowd erupted when Moller-Jensen found the net on Sunday.
“It means a lot,” Doroh said. “The city of Flint has embraced this team since we got here and the support has just grown over the years. This year it seemed even more special. More and more people came out, and the weather cooperated, so that was always a good thing. Just to have the fans behind you and kind of being that 12th man and, and urging you on to victory, it’s special and the boys definitely feel it on the field.”
They’ll need that home field advantage as the Bucks move on to face the defending national champion Vermont Green. Vermont is still a new club – they were founded in 2021. But they’ve rapidly become one of the most successful organizations in the country, even beyond USL League 2. Their home stadium is regularly full to capacity and they have an active and entertaining supporter group that follows the team and should be expected in Flint next week.
Vermont’s only loss in the last two seasons came on penalty kicks earlier this season. They have out-scored opponents 19-1 in four playoff matches this season.
The Bucks were selected as the host site for the national title match, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. August 1 at Atwood Stadium. Tickets are on sale online.
“We’re just super excited for the guys to have an opportunity to participate in the national final, but we don’t wanna just participate,” Doroh said. “They worked really hard all season, and I just couldn’t be more proud of them.”
“We have to rest, recover, and prepare mentally and physically because this is gonna be a very, very tough game,” Moller-Jensen said. “But it’s one we’ve been looking forward to all season, so we’re gonna be pumped, we’re gonna be ready, and we’re gonna give it a fight.”
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