City Islanders blow past Rough Riders to extend streak
July 27, 2005 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Penn FC News Release
CITY ISLANDERS BLOW PAST ROUGH RIDERS TO EXTEND STREAK Sumed Ibrahim posts hat trick in 5-2 win over Long Island
(Harrisburg, Pa., July 27, 2005) - Sumed Ibrahim recorded the first hat trick in team history as the Harrisburg City Islanders roared past the Long Island Rough Riders by the score of 5-2 at Skyline Sports Complex on Wednesday night. Steve Fisher added two assists for the City Islanders, who improved to 9-3-5 (32 points), extended their team record unbeaten streak to 12, and moved to the brink of qualifying for a playoff berth.
Harrisburg, now tied for second in the USL Second Division standings, now needs only a win or a tie to qualify for the postseason - a feat they could accomplish this Saturday, July 30, on the road in Northern Virginia (7:30 p.m. kickoff).
Before the night was over, Harrisburg would set a season high and tie a franchise record for goals in a game, as well as set a club mark for scores in a half. But it began ominously, as Long Island's Derrick Etienne tapped in a Shaun Higgins cross in the game's fifth minute.
Harrisburg responded in the 17th minute, when Sumed thumped home a full volley from 18 yards out. The finish - a clinical first-time strike after the Rough Riders' Gary Sullivan had headed the ball clear - was spectacular, but he was far from done.
After Shane Crawford gave the City Islanders a 2-1 lead in the 24th minute with a superbly taken free kick from the right side of the penalty area, Sumed burst down the slot, maintained his balance in a crowd, and redirected a low cross from Fisher past losing keeper Paul Grafer (three saves) in the 33rd minute to make it 3-1.
Etienne got one back for Long Island in the 37th minute, when he beat winning keeper Dave Kern (one save) with a low drive. Not to be outdone, Sumed wrapped his first-half trifecta in the 44th minute, hammering his own rebound past Grafer for a 4-2 halftime lead. The assist, once again, came from Fisher, who worked the ball down the left wing before centering.
After a six-goal opening half, the clubs recovered their defensive shape, and the final 45 minutes produced only one score. That score - in the 76th minute from Harrisburg's Matt Tanzini - served to ice the City Islanders win. Defender Adam Schultz sailed a long ball down the left wing, where Tanzini slipped around Grafer, moved inside the penalty area, and calmly rolled the ball into an open net.
Notes: Kern improved his record in goal to 7-0-1...Harrisburg's J.T. Dorsey sat out the game with a knee injury, ending his team record streak of consecutive starts at 27. Schultz, who started in his place, recorded his second assist of the year...Fisher registered the first multiple-assist game of the season for Harrisburg and the third in team history.
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United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 27, 2005
- Rough Riders get stranded by Islanders - Long Island Rough Riders
- City Islanders blow past Rough Riders to extend streak - Penn FC
- Long Island Rough Riders Mid-Week Update - Long Island Rough Riders
- City Islanders' Schofield on Team of the Week - Penn FC
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