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10-Man San Antonio Fights Valiantly But Ultimately Falls 0-1

September 6, 2015 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
San Antonio Scorpions News Release


SAN ANTONIO, Texas - An early red card forces the San Antonio Scorpions to play with 10 men for most of the match in a 0-1 loss to the Ottawa Fury at Toyota Field.

The Scorpions had a golden opportunity to take the lead early in the game when Billy Forbes penetrated the Fury defense from the left side of the box in the 18th minute. He found Omar Cummings wide open at the top of the area, but the normally lethal striker looked to play provider and shifted the play towards Milton Palacios on the right. Palacios had an open look, but his one-timed shot went wide.

The turning point of the match for the Scorpions came in 40th minute on a play at midfield. Defender Zourab Tsiskaridze went in for a sliding tackle and looked to get a touch on the ball before Ottawa's Mauro Eustaquio jumped to the turf, but referee Nima Saghafi saw otherwise and went to his pocket for a yellow card. Tsiskaridze was already on a yellow he had received in the 22', so the Alamo City boys quite suddenly found themselves playing the remainder of the game a man down.

In the 52nd minute, the Fury found their goal off of a set piece opportunity. The initial ball in resulted in a shot by the Fury that looked to have beaten San Antonio 'keeper Daniel Fernandes, but instead found Scorpions captain Rafael Castillo manning his position on the post. Castillo was able to clear the ball off the line, only to see the Fury recycle the ball and eventually Paolo Junior set up Brazilian forward Oliver for a header into the back of the net. The goal was the first the Scorpions had conceded since August 15 at the New York Cosmos.

The red and black continued to mount a short-handed attack and found a flurry of opportunities late in the match. Forwards Giuseppe Gentile and Eric Hassli came on in the 61st and 80th minutes, respectively, and helped generate the Scorpions' chances. The best of the match came in the 87' when Hassli controlled a ball just outside of the Fury's area with his back to goal and spotted César Elizondo making a run towards the box. Hassli laid the ball off perfectly and the Costa Rican hit the ball in stride, but it took a slight deflection off of an Ottawa defender's heel that redirected the shot just wide of goal.



North American Soccer League Stories from September 6, 2015


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