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Austin Aztex FC tie Puerto Rico Islanders 1-1

May 8, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Austin Aztex News Release


AUSTIN, Texas - Fitting. That's the best way to describe the final result between the Puerto Rico Islanders and the Austin Aztex FC. In a contest featuring two of the three undefeated teams in the USL-First Division, and a rematch of the pre-season contest a month earlier when both teams played a defensive struggle to a 0-0 draw, the 5,216 fans in attendance at Nelson Field on Friday night and the national television audience watching on Fox Soccer Channel saw quality action from both teams that eventually finished with a 1-1 tie.

The game started off eerily similar to two of the three previous home contests for the Aztex as the visiting team came out the aggressor in the first half. The first threat from the Islanders came just nine minutes in when Puerto Rico midfielder Noah Delgado managed to find a clear lane in front of Austin goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo. Gallardo avoided the traffic, dove to his right and made the game's first save. Aztex striker Eddie Johnson responded just a couple minutes later when he had a shot of his own on goal, but Islanders goalkeeper Bill Gaudette was equal to the challenge.

Over the course of the next 15 minutes, the Islanders played deep in the Austin end and had multiple shots on goal, the best chance coming in the 22nd minute when forward Kendall Jagdeosingh found midfielder Petter Villegas just inside the 18-yard box. Villegas settled the ball then fired it above Gallardo's outstretched hands. The ball sailed just over the top of the crossbar.

In the 39th minute, Puerto Rico finally capitalized on a counterattack when defender Cristian Arrieta took the ball on a run up the right side. With an Aztex defender pursuing, Arrieta managed to get just inside the 18-yard box before he delivered a shot high and to his left. Gallardo moved to his right but it was too late and the visitors found themselves up 1-0.

Following the halftime intermission, the Aztex, as it had done in previous contests that resulted in ties (Minnesota and Vancouver), came out a different team, attacking at every chance. Led by Johnson, Austin had several early chances to start the second half, the best coming in the 53rd minute when Johnson had a one-on-one opportunity against Gaudette, but was denied for a second time on the evening. In the 67th minute, Johnson was once again involved in an offensive threat on the Puerto Rico end. This time, however, the forward dropped off a back pass across to former Cuban player Yordany Alvarez. Alvarez settled the ball, then delivered it high to Gaudette's left. The Puerto Rico keeper managed to get a portion of his hand on the ball, but it wasn't enough as the ball found the back of the net and more importantly, the Aztex had tied up the game at one apiece.

Over the course of the next 20 minutes, the Aztex and Islanders each had several opportunities both attacking and counterattacking, but neither team was able to finish.

Aztex Head Coach Adrian Heath, as he has noted in the previous ties, was pleased with his team's performance, especially in the second half. "I thought we were very poor in the first half. That was good stuff for us in the second half. Puerto Rico is one of the best teams in the league and we've played Vancouver (and tied), so it's a good barometer for ourselves. But in the end, we're not starting quick enough. At halftime I told the guys that we are going to lose if we keep playing this way. If we can start like we finish, we'd be great."

The Aztex (1-0-3) return to action next week in the team's first road game of the season at Montreal on Sunday May 17. The Islanders (2-0-2) have a short turnaround as they travel north of the border for a game on Sunday, May 10 against the Vancouver Whitecaps, in a rematch of last year's championship, and a rematch of an early-season matchup in which the Islanders won 2-1 at home.



USL First Division Stories from May 8, 2009


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