City Islanders Battle for 2-0 Home Win
July 15, 2006 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Penn FC News Release
(Harrisburg, PA)- The Harrisburg City Islanders received goals from newly re-acquired Chad Severs and veteran Matt Tanzini and a solid effort from goalkeeper Dave Kern and his defense en route to a 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in front of 2,033 at Skyline Sports Complex on Saturday night.
The victory improves Harrisburg's record to 6-6-3 (21 points) and moves the club into a tie with the Riverhounds (5-3-6, 21) for third place in the USL Second Division. Additionally, the season series between the City Islanders and Riverhounds finishes tied at 1-1-2, and the clubs are deadlocked in head-to-head goals (4-4). Thus, a tie in the standings between the clubs would come down to the next tiebreaker, overall league wins, an advantage which Harrisburg currently holds.
The Riverhounds were rejected by the woodwork twice in the game's first 20 minutes, in the 10th minute when Matthew Mehler kissed the crossbar from 30 yards out, and in the 16th when a Gabe Bernstein header hit the left post. But after a Romain Cheurlin effort from the top of the area trickled into Kern's arms, the City Islanders settled down and controlled the remainder of the half.
Severs, who won the 2005 USL-2 Rookie of the Year Award with Harrisburg and was acquired on loan from First Division side Rochester this week, started up front and made his presence felt early on. In the 23rd minute, he fed David McClellan after a surging run down the left wing, but McClellan volleyed it high and wide. After Mo Oduor had a slow roller from inside the area cleared away by Mehler (24'), and Sumed Ibrahim's clever back heel skipped wide of the mark (25'), Severs nearly struck twice. In the 32nd minute, he sent a McClellan service wide, and in stoppage time he put a shot right on keeper Terry McNelis (2 saves). The game was scoreless at the half.
In the 57th minute, Harrisburg broke through. From the left wing, halftime sub Matt Tanzini sent a twisting ball over the top of Pittsburgh's defense, forcing McNelis to come off his line. Severs was a step quicker, reaching the ball just outside the area and chipping over McNelis for a 1-0 Harrisburg lead.
With the lead in hand, Kern and the defense stepped to the fore. The third-year keeper made a brilliant kick save on Leon Browne's right wing rip in the 63rd minute, and stood his ground during a 79th-minute flurry that produced close efforts by Derek MacKenzie and Nathan Salsi.
When Kern wasn't making spectacular stops, the defense was. In the 77th minute, J.T. Dorsey and Chris Morman combined to clear Browne's header out of the goalmouth, and Adam Clay threw his body into the fray to keep out a point blank shot during the scrum two minutes later.
In stoppage time, Clay contributed at the other end, breaking through the middle and spraying a ball down the left channel for Tanzini, who turned on the burners and unleashed a perfect low drive from the top left side of the area. McNelis stretched but was unable to reach it.
Successfully protecting a 1-0 lead would have been enough to send the City Isles home happy, but Tanzini's strike, which sealed the night's final score and tied the season series, added to the night's significance.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 15, 2006
- Eagles Tie on Schroeder Goal After Trailing - Charlotte Eagles
- City Islanders Battle for 2-0 Home Win - Penn FC
- Lady Eagles Fall 0-1 Despite Strong Effort - Charlotte Eagles
- Riverhounds Drop Match to Harrisburg City Islanders 2-0 - Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
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