City Islanders End Regular Season With Win
Published on August 13, 2005 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Penn FC News Release
(Harrisburg, Pa.) - The Harrisburg City Islanders received goals from Chad Severs and Sumed Ibrahim as they concluded their 2005 regular season with a 2-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (6-11-3, 21 pts) on Saturday night. A crowd of 1,817 was on hand at Skyline Sports Complex to see the City Islanders finish the season with a 12-3-5 record (41 pts) and keep their club record unbeaten streak intact at 15 games.
The victory, coupled with Wilmington's 3-0 win over Charlotte on Saturday, means that #3 seed Harrisburg will face the #2 seed Charlotte Eagles in the 2005 USL Second Division Semifinals. Game One of the two-game series will be next Thursday, August 18, at Skyline (7:05 p.m.), with Game Two taking place on Saturday, August 20, at Charlotte's Waddell High School Stadium (7:30 p.m.).
Harrisburg's first score came after some excellent work from John Lapore and Ryan O'Neill down the right wing. The two executed a perfect give-and-go that sprung O'Neill in the right corner, from where the midfielder skipped a low cross into the box. Severs trapped the ball and quickly turned before firing a low shot past losing keeper Terry McNelis (six saves).
Another give-and-go led to Harrisburg's second and final goal, and this time Severs was on the playmaking end. He and Sumed Ibrahim cracked open the middle of Pittsburgh's defense with a bit of precision passing, and Sumed did the rest. The 24-year-old fought his way through a tackle and somehow kept his balance, then managed to crack a wicked shot beyond McNelis' reach in the 36th minute.
Though a Steve Fisher header, snared by McNelis, could have given Harrisburg a 3-0 edge before the half was out and the team had a goal called back in the 65th minute thanks to a handball, but the City Islanders already had all the scoring they needed.
Both teams slowed down a bit in the second half as the heat and humidity at Skyline took its toll. The City Islanders relied on a stifling defense to keep most danger away from keeper Dave Kern, who finished the regular season with an undefeated 10-0-1 record (and extended his personal unbeaten streak to 15 games). Kern made four stops on Saturday.
The final whistle signaled the end of the regular season and the start of a frenetic postseason, which features Tuesday night's exhibition match with D.C. United (Skyline, 7:30 p.m.) and the playoff matches on Thursday and Saturday.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 13, 2005
- Bundy Leads Wilmington over Charlotte 3-0 - Charlotte Eagles
- Riverhounds Drop Final Game of 2005 - Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Rough Riders End Season with Loss to Phantoms - Long Island Rough Riders
- City Islanders End Regular Season With Win - Penn FC
- Record crowd sees Kings wrap up inaugural season with 4-1 win - Cincinnati Kings
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