Video high lights of the match found here.

This championship game start time was set late in the evening to make sure both teams had their players. We had a large turnout with about 85 spectators. One of the largest in a long time.

The league tries to start the games on time. Our digital timer is programmed to time one game including half time. Once the timer starts, it can not be stopped. The only thing you can do is reset it and start from the beginning, which we can not do. Our timer counts down a minute warning before kick-off so the teams have enough time to get onto the field and be ready to play. As the clock started the one minute count down warning, the players on both teams were seen strategizing and by the time of kick off, the clocked ticked down about five minutes into game time. This game, 35 minute halves would be played without overtime if the game ended in a tie.

Sag Harbor would start the game missing their regular goalie, Jorge Lopez, who arrived late to the game. In his place Mauricio Guzman would start defending the net. Guzman has not played once as a goalie during the season. FC Tuxpan did not take advantage of the inexperienced goalie for Sag Harbor. FC Tuxpan had few shots on Guzman. So about 12 minutes into the game, Sag Harbor scores to take the lead. Maicol Parra of Sag Harbor has the ball inside the FC Tuxpan goalie box and was able to fire off a low grounder that beat Wilson Tacuri of FC Tuxpan into the net to give his team the lead.

Play continued with good attacks at both ends of the field. One one attack by Sag Harbor, a shot is taken that Tacuri had to dive to make a one handed save by pushing the ball over the cross bar. It was looking like no more goals would be scored during the first half. With about seven minutes left in the half, Lopez of Sag Harbor enters the field to play in the goal.

The game heated up during the second half of play. FC Tuxpan needed to score and quickly. On one play, a Sag Harbor defender slides tackles a FC Tuxpan forward and takes him down. Words were exchanged between players but also both teams came to try to calm each player down. On another play, Donald Martinez of FC Tuxpan had the ball and had a one on one with Tacuri inside the FC Tuxpan goalie box. Out of sight, Jorge Neito, of FC Tuxpan comes running to do a slide tackle on Martinez. Well, Martinez was able to hit the ball as Neito feet were about to hit Martinez. Anyway, Tacuri was able to block the shot.

FC Tuxpan had a chance to score on a direct kick taken by Melvin Soler. Soler hit the ball to the far side of the goal. Running toward the ball was Jorge Neito, one of the tallest players in the league along with his brother, who headed the ball directly toward the goal. Lopez had to do a diving one hand save to push the ball over the cross bar to prevent a goal.

As time was running out, play was mostly at the Sag Harbor end. Any ball that went out of play for Sag Harbor, Sag Harbor took their time to waste out the clock. We do not have injury overtime. When play is finished, it's finished.

So with just under a minute left in the game, FC Tuxpan had a chance to score again. This time Soler takes a throw in. His powerful throw places the ball at the far side of the goal. Running again was Neito, who headed the ball directly at the goal. Again, Lopez had to do a diving one hand save to push the ball over the cross bar.

So with under 10 seconds on the clock, Martinez gets the ball and heads toward the FC Tuxpan goal. He was able to dribble around Tacuri and fire a shot with just a second left on the clock. The ball heads toward the goal with a FC Tuxpan defender slide tackling to prevent the ball from roll into the goal. In the end, the defender failed and Martinez got his goal. With that, Sag Harbor United won the spring 2022 championship. A well played game.