Abbotsford midfielder Joe Scigliano controlled an awkward trap after a cross, then pushed the ball low past Firebirds goalkeeper Colin McMillen halfway through the second overtime to give the Abbotsford 86ers a 3-2 win over John & Phil's Willamette Valley Firebirds. The match was played in front of 150 fans on a cold, clear night at Corvallis High School.

Both teams got off to a slow start, which wasn't surprising as it was the first match of the year for both teams. But it was the 86ers who found the net first in the 35th minute. Sean Crocker snuck in behind the Firebirds defense, and when Colin McMillen charged the attacker to cut off the angle, Crocker chipped it over his shoulder an into the net to put the 86ers up 1-0. The 86ers controlled the flow of play for the first half, and five minutes later they tallied again. A few quick passes deep in the Firebirds' end found midfielder Joe Scigliano free, and he placed a hard shot to McMillen's short side to put the visitors up 2-0 at the half.

The Firebirds made a few changes in personnel at halftime, and the changes seemed to help the Firebirds push deeper into the Abbotsford end of the field, and the 86ers were forced into a more defensive game. Several times the Firebirds had threats fall apart when they couldn't complete the last pass. But in the 65th minute, a foul deep in the 86ers end gave the 'Birds the chance they needed. Forward Jason Crevar took the free kick from 25 yards out, and barely cleared the disorganized Abbotsford wall, and slipped just inside the right post to narrow the 86ers lead to 2-1.

The momentum had clearly shifted to the home side, and just three minutes later the Firebirds found the net again. Crevar made a good run down the left side, and while his cross into the box was too close to 86ers goalkeeper Paul McCallum, the keeper was unable to control the short hop, and it rebounded out to new Firebird midfielder Jack Wheeler, who made a solid strike to the short side before McCallum could recover. Having seen their 2-0 lead disappear, the 86ers once again found their offense, and had several good chances during the last few minutes of regulation, but McMillen made two good saves that forced the game into extra time.

Both teams were tiring, and neither team made a serious threat during the first 10-minute overtime. It appeared that neither team was going to be able to break through until Scigliano ended the match with five minutes left in the second overtime.

Colin McMillen had nine saves for the Firebirds, while 86ers goalkeeper Paul McCallum had four saves.

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