On a hot, sunny Father’s Day afternoon the Nashville Metros fell 2-0 to the Mississippi Brilla in Premier Development League action at Siegel Park.
However, this was not a regular game for the franchise that began play, when George H.W. Bush was in the oval office. At halftime on Sunday, the Metros retired jersey No. 5 in honor of Santiago Snellgrose. Snellgrose played for Nashville, last season, but on Sept. 5, 2009 he died in a boating accident. It was the first jersey number retired in team history.
“He was just one of those people that everyone had a connection with,” Midfielder Scott Davidson said.
Davidson is currently wearing No. 95, in honor of the date that Snellgrose past away. Fellow midfielder Mark Photivihok is also wearing a special number, 55 to combine Snellgrose’s jersey number with Photivihok’s old jersey number 10.
“It means so much,” Davidson added. “It’s not only for him but for his family. We are dedicating the whole season to him.”
Along with the team, Snellgrose’s family gathered at midfield at halftime for the ceremony. At the end of the presentation, the fans that braved the triple digit temperatures gave the family a standing ovation.
As for the game, Photivihok had an early scoring chance in the 11th minute of the first half, but his shot went wide.
A few minutes later, Mississippi forward Moses Aduny scored off a corner kick in the 18th minute. He added another goal in the 20th. That would be the only scoring of the match.
“We played pretty decent, but we just had a couple of lapses,” Davidson said.
In his four other appearances this season, Aduny had only scored a single goal.
Both teams had several other scoring chances, including late in the match. Nashville second half sub, Bryan Lowder nailed a hard shot inside the box. Photivihok tried to knock in the rebound, but it sailed wide.
Another factor during the game was the heat.
“We tried to drink as much water as possible,” Davidson said. “Both teams had to deal with it. We can’t use it as a excuse.”
The next home match at Siegel Park is at 7 p.m. July 16 against the Central Florida Kraze. It will be the final home match of the season.
This week, the Metros hit the road to take on New Orleans June 24 and the same Mississippi again June 26.
David Hunter can be contacted at sports@murfreesboropost.com. |
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