AC St. Louis Beats Portland 3-0, Amberlsey Fires Hat Trick
July 28, 2010 - U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 (USSF D-2)
AC St. Louis News Release
ST. LOUIS, MO (July 28, 2010) - AC St. Louis, playing in the USSF Division 2 Pro League, beat the Portland Timbers 3-0 on Wednesday night at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in front of 2,256 fans. Mike Ambersley got AC St. Louis five game home stand off to the best possible start by firing in the first hat trick of the year, and in the club's short history, to pace St. Louis to their second win in a row.
"Our guys did a great job defensively to hold them out away from the goal as much as we possibly could, and then finding ways to score goals," said head coach Dale Schilly. "And then what can you say about Mike Ambersley? He is training better all the time, he is starting to feel it in practice, and now he is scoring goals. Those goals in the first half were unbelievable. He just has a sense of how to put the ball in the net. I have seen him do that since he was 12 years old."
Before the scoring came AC St. Louis needed some defense and goalkeeping. St. Louis goalkeeper Alec Dufty rose to the occasion early when he was pressed into challenging a Derek Gaudet shot in the 8th minute. Dufty charged off his line as Gaudet came down with a ball just inside the edge of the penalty area, and as Gaudet unloaded Dufty stayed tall to make a point bank save.
Mike Ambersley then turned the game on its head as he struck for his first in the 25th minute. Ambersley found himself alone on the left wing with a good ball at his feet. His rush at goal was capped off with a well-placed shot for a 1-0 lead. Ambersley was not done there. Just two minutes later the AC St. Louis forward was played in on the right side from a long punt by goalkeeper Alec Dufty that sailed over the head of Jeff Cosgriff. This time Ambersley used a deft touch to lob his chance over an on rushing Steve Cronin. The two goals represented the first time a St. Louis players had scored multiple times in a match, and it was also the quickest that two goals had been scored in franchise history.
"It felt good to get a multiple goal game," said Ambersley. "I was just glad to get a win on the first game of the home stand. We came out firing, got a few chances, and put them in."
Three minutes before halftime Alec Dufty came up begin again. This time he stopped a wide-open shot from George Josten. Josten was able to find space and time inside the St. Louis penalty area, but Dufty sprawled low to his right to stop the well-placed effort with an outstretched hand. AC St. Louis took a 2-0 lead into the half, a good omen for a team with a record of 4-1-2 when scoring first, and 4-0-4 when not conceding a goal in the first half.
Mike Ambersley completed his hat trick in the 57th minute when he drilled home a rebound off a shot taken by Troy Cole. Steve Cronin made the save off of Cole's hard, low strike, but the rebound set up for Ambersley who was unmarked on the weak-side. Ambersley collected the ball, tapping it past Cronin as he tried to recover to make a save. The hat trick was the first in AC St. Louis franchise history.
The win moves AC St. Louis to 19 points on the year, 5-10-4, and well into playoff contention as they chase several teams sitting on 23 points.
AC St. Louis' next home match is on Sunday August 1 at 5:10 p.m. against the NSC Minnesota Stars. Tickets are still available and can be obtained by calling 1-888-STL-GOAL, or by visiting www.ac-stlouis.com.
U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 Stories from July 28, 2010
- Whitecaps Shutout Impact 1-0 - Vancouver Whitecaps
- Vancouver 1 Impact 0 - Montreal Impact
- Ambersley Hat Trick Leads AC St. Louis Past Timbers - Portland Timbers
- AC St. Louis Beats Portland 3-0, Amberlsey Fires Hat Trick - AC St. Louis
- NSC Minnesota Stars Announces August 21 School Supply Drive - Minnesota United FC
- Whitecaps FC Add Ridge Mobulu - Vancouver Whitecaps
- AC St. Louis V. Portland Timbers Tonight - AC St. Louis
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