Chicago Riot's 4th-Quarter Rally Falls Short Against Omaha
January 9, 2011 - Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL)
Chicago Riot News Release
VILLA PARK, Ill. (Jan. 9, 2011) -- The Chicago Riot posted a late rally but fell to the Omaha Vipers, 13-11, on Sunday in Major Indoor Soccer League action at the Odeum Sports and Expo Center.
In the fourth quarter, the Riot's Fred Degand posted a power play goal and Eric Duda netted a three-pointer to cut a seven-point deficit to 13-11. But in the closing minute, the Riot's deep shot attempts either were turned away by Vipers goalkeeper Jose Bontti, or the team missed the goal frame.
Bontti made a game-high 24 saves for Omaha. Riot goalkeepers Jeff Richey (six saves) and Ante Cop (10 saves) split time in the net after Richey left the game with a leg injury. Richey surpassed 800 career goals and sits at 801.
Next up for the Riot is a 7 p.m. match on Sunday, Jan. 16, against the Baltimore Blast at the Odeum. Tickets start at $10 and are available at ChicagoRiotSoccer.com or by calling 630-708-6284.
The Riot got on the board first when Alex Megson's shot from the right side trickled past Bontti at the 8:05 mark of the first quarter for a 2-0 lead. Megson and Miodrag "Miki" Djerisilo worked a give-and-go to carve past the Vipers' defense.
With 2 seconds remaining in the first quarter at the 14:58 mark, Vipers forward Johnny Torres booted a three-point goal that hit Richey's gloves, but the ball found its way under the crossbar and into the back of the net as Omaha took a 3-2 lead.
The Riot's Sandre "Sunny" Naumoski took a shootout at the 2:35 mark of the second quarter following a Ricardinho penalty, and Bontti stopped the attempt. But Chicago capitalized during the penalty. Riot midfielder Semir Mesanovic tallied his 75th career goal on the power play at the 3:50 mark for a 4-3 lead. Bato Radoncic had the assist from the left side and Mesanovic's strike hit the upper left corner.
But the Vipers posted a 6-0 run in the span of five and a half minutes. Johnny Torres posted goals at the 5:24 and 10:52 marks of the second quarter, and Ryan Junge had an unassisted score at 7:47. Torres gave the Vipers a 9-4 lead with his second tally.
Following Torres' first goal at 5:24, Kraft substituted Cop into the net for Richey, who was noticably limping from an injury earlier in the game.
Radoncic cut Omaha's lead to 9-6 at the 13:40 mark of the second with an unassisted restart goal from the left side, shooting the ball into the upper right corner of the net.
With both offenses going quiet for much of the third quarter, Omaha midfielder Mauricio Curiel's second-chance effort at the 14:32 mark gave the Vipers an 11-6 lead. Curiel took an initial strike, with Cop making a diving save to his left. But the ball popped back out in the box, and Curiel headed the ball in for the unassisted score.
The Vipers pushed their lead to 13-6 with a Victor Quiroz power play goal at the 3:28 mark. But Chicago responded as Degand tallied the Riot's second power play goal of the game at 6:13 of the fourth off of a Mesanovic assist to cut the Vipers' lead to 13-8.
The Riot continued a comeback with Duda's three-point goal at the 9:36 mark to cut the Vipers' lead to 13-11. But the Vipers' defense held things in check the rest of the way.
Major Indoor Soccer League Stories from January 9, 2011
- Chicago Riot's 4th-Quarter Rally Falls Short Against Omaha - Chicago Riot
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