Wilmington Hammerheads Take Home a 2-1 Win against OCB in Season Opener
March 27, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Wilmington Hammerheads FC News Release
Melbourne, Fla. - Wilmington Hammerheads made their United Soccer League (USL) debut at Eastern Florida State College's Titan Soccer Complex against Orlando City B (OCB) on Saturday evening in front of a passionate fan base that supported the match through a rain delay. Despite the neck-to-neck opportunities to score, the Hammerheads earned a 2-1 victory.
The match featured the coaching debut of Mark Briggs and assistant coach Matt Glaeser, both former Hammerhead standouts. It also included the Hammerhead debuts of key players starting with 27-year-old John Smits, former four-year FC Edmonton of the NASL paramount, 35-year-old influential Ireland Native, Liam Miller, 23-year-old Josue Currais Prieto, who has made his mark in the ISL, and 28-year-old Brazilian talented defender Bruno Perone.
Head coach Briggs stated, "It was a fantastic way to start our season tonight. We showed a lot of character. We fought for one another and displayed a lot of quality in possession against OCB."
Both sides shared the possession and the attacking chances during the first half; which ended scoreless. Wilmington opened scoring early in the second half from a corner kick, when defender Ashani Fairclough's diving header effort found the back of the net in the 46th minute of play. However, OCB responded quickly, leveling the fixture 10 minutes later. The Hammerheads retook the lead in the 65th minute and scored the final goal of the match, when Logan Miller's shot from a distance found the back of the net.
Miller elaborated on the Hammerheads win, "As a whole team we are delighted to get a win in the first game verses a strong OCB team. This will be a good benchmark for us to go off of the rest of the season. We still have a lot of things to work on, but we showed we have a winning mentality through and through. That's critical in order to get the results we want."
The Hammerheads prepare for their home opener match of the 2016 USL season when they host the Richmond Kickers on Friday, April 1, at Legion Stadium. Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m. ET. Tickets can be purchased by calling 910.777.2111 or online at www.wilmingtonhammerheads.com.
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United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 27, 2016
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