Union FC Macomb draws Oakland County FC 1-1 after 90th-minute equalizer – The Oakland Press

Oakland County FC’s Rocco Galati works on the ball in the first half of Friday night’s away match at Union FC Macomb. The hosts earned a 1-1 draw thanks to a late goal by Josh Copeland. (BRYAN EVERSON – MediaNews Group)

UTICA – In the final match of its inaugural season, Union FC Macomb earned a well-deserved 1-1 draw Friday night at Swinehart Field against visiting Oakland County FC.

Just as the clock approached 90 minutes, Zach Townsend’s unmarked header off a Macomb corner kick was deflected off the line by Kai Yamazaki, but only sent several steps away to Josh Copeland, who redirected the ball back into the net to level the match.

“I think the game got a bit stretch, a bit direct at the end, and the quality of soccer went down as we had to try and throw numbers to try and get the goal back,” Union FC Macomb head coach Gronthik Chatterjee said. “We were starting to press more and get more opportunities, and obviously, our big man, Zach, is fantastic on set-piece opportunities. He got up, got it, and in the scrum we were able to tuck it.

“Wonderful, because when you give up a lead, it feels like a loss, but when you tie a game that you’re losing, it feels like a win. At least for us, it’s a nice way to end the season.”

Photo gallery of Oakland County FC at Union FC Macomb in USL League Two action

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Macomb was forced to battle with a deficit for almost the entire night after the travelers in purple got out ahead early. Gabriel Gjokaj, bombing down the left flank, used a measured touch to power past two markers and force a shot, but despite saving the initial attempt, a poor clearance by a Union FC defender put the ball right in the path of Alek Markovski to give Oakland County the lead in the ninth minute.

Just a few minutes before, a ball had been played over the top to Markovski that he blasted over the target, but he made no such mistake on his second opportunity of the evening.

Had the scoreline remained 1-0, it would have reflected the season opener for Oakland County FC back when the teams met in Royal Oak on May 18. While the availability of players at the USL League Two level leads to ebbs and flows, Union FC Macomb’s form has improved dramatically since the first-ever meeting between the clubs.

On Wednesday, Macomb (4-9-1) handed the Flint City Bucks, a perennial powerhouse in the league, its first defeat of the season with a 3-1 triumph in Warren. Chatterjee felt the quick turnaround showed. “Only having 48 hours between (Wednesday and Friday’s games), to be fair, our players just looked tired, and the errors that just weren’t there in the Bucks game that showed up,” he said. “A lot of missed passes, the running off the ball wasn’t quite correct. In fairness, I thought it was a relatively even game. They had chances early when we were asleep in the first five minutes. They could have tucked in a breakaway and didn’t. Then they did go up, and we had a bunch of chances but shot right at the keeper every single time in the first half.”

As the game became muddied, the chances were fewer to start the second half, but eventually picked up again before Macomb struck back.

In the 69th minute, Malvin Gblah chipped a cross to the back post that was headed over the bar by Markovski on a chance that could have doubled the advantage. Seconds later, Union FC’s Tanner Hodgson uncorked a shot from almost 30 yards out that goalkeeper Robert Gjelaj had to dive to his left, pushing it wide.

Jeremy Sharp, who scored a pair of free kicks in the win over the Bucks, almost banked his third of the week on a free kick in the 77th minute that froze Gjelaj by ringing the crossbar, then deflected downward in front of the line before taking a hefty bounce in a dangerous area that eventually required a punch from the OCFC netminder.

Shown a yellow card earlier in the match, Oakland County FC head coach Steve Walker was unhappy with several decisions that went against his team, among them that the ball went off one of his players for the corner that led to the equalizer.