20110418: AFC's 24-44 loss in Sweden does not derail the Show
The 2nd half saw the Show score an early touchdown on a pass from Pål Dannevig to rookie wideout Asbjørn Lindland, but the Roedeers had no intention of letting the victory slip out of their grasp, and the connection between QB Sebastian Thuné and WR Sebastian Gauthier was one the Show had no good answer for on this day. The Show defense did improve as rookies in the secondary and at linebacker doubled their amount of experience with this game. However, mental mistakes meant the Roedeers got the ball in a good position several times, and they took advantage of that on some possessions.
Show scored yet another TD on a long drive in the 4th quarter, this time through the shifty running of Simon Bruset, who had a pretty good day as he was the biggest rushing threat of either team on the day. The Roedeers had no goalposts on the field, so Show went for two after each of our three TDs, making it every time. WR Benedict Gärtner, RB Simon Olsen and RB Simon Bruset each had a two-point conversion during the game. AFC Show is particularily pleased with scoring in the 2nd half, as injuries and precautions led to several starters leaving the field at halftime and after the first drive of the 2nd half. Promisingly, several backups stepped up to the plate and proved that they can contribute, in particular on the offensive line.
All in all, it was a good football game with challenges for both teams. Show got to experience 11-man football for the first time, and adjusted relatively well. The score does not entirely reflect what happened on the field, as it could easily have ended with a score of 32-38 or similar, but when all is said and done - the combo of Sebastian Thuné and Sebastian Gauthier was a noticeable difference between the teams.
AFC Show's players now takes a well-deserved Easter vacation before preparations for the away game versus the Gladiators that takes place in Kristiansand on the 30th of April.
The AFC Show senior team travelled a total of 28 hours by bus to play Sweden's Västerås Roedeers in Västerås, Sweden. The game is part of a two-game series in 2011 and 2012, with the Roedeers travelling to Stavanger in 2012.
The 31 Show players who made the trip saw the game start awkwardly as the Roedeer's Sebastian Gauthier scored the first points of the game on the very first play, returning the kickoff all the way for six points. Within a few minutes after the start of the game, the home side had a comfortable 14-0 lead as rookie mistakes put AFC Show in a tough spot.
However, Show answered with a TD pass from Pål Dannevig to Magnus Vadla, and the 1st half also included long drives from both teams. Unfortunately Show fumbled on the goalline on one occasion, and mistakes by the relatively inexperienced Show team lead to a deserved 8-28 halftime score in favor of the Roedeers.
Check out the video on the right for Show's game highlights.