City Islanders Weekly
June 6, 2005 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Penn FC News Release
The Harrisburg City Islanders won their second straight game in front of a team record, standing room only crowd of 3,127, defeating the Cincinnati Kings 2-1 at Skyline Sports Complex on Saturday night.
Chad Severs (2nd minute) and Bernie Showers (a penalty kick in the 73rd minute) scored for Harrisburg, and an active Dave Kern recorded his second straight win in goal without having to make a save. Defender Sam Fiore scored Cincinnati's goal in the 77th minute.
The City Islanders are now 1-0-1 against the Kings in 2005, with two games remaining in the season series: on Friday, June 24, in Cincinnati, and on Saturday, August 6, in Harrisburg.
With the win, Harrisburg pulled within a point of fifth-place Cincinnati and two points of fourth-place Long Island.
THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE...
Tuesday, June 7 â Practice, "In The Net," 8:30 â 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday, June 8 â Practice, "In The Net," 3:00 â 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 9 â Practice, "In The Net," 8:30 â 10:30 a.m.
Friday, June 10 â Travel to Long Island, early afternoon departure
Saturday, June 11 â City Islanders at Long Island Rough Riders, Mitchel Athletic Complex, 7:30 p.m.
The City Islanders travel to Long Island to face the Rough Riders this Saturday, June 11. Kickoff at Mitchel Athletic Complex will be 7:30 p.m.
Harrisburg split two games with the Rough Riders a season ago. Matt Tanzini, Seamus Donnelly, and Andy Guastaferro scored in a 3-0 City Islanders win at Skyline last June 18. Long Island had their revenge on July 17 at home as Giovanni Savarese bagged two scores â including a game-winning penalty kick in extra time â in a 3-2 Rough Riders win. Tanzini recorded the only two-goal performance in team history in the latter game.
The Rough Riders will visit Harrisburg on Wednesday, July 27, at 7:05 p.m.
The City Islanders return home to face the Western Mass Pioneers on Saturday, June 18 (7:05 p.m. kickoff), before completing the month with a challenging two-game road swing to Pittsburgh (Wednesday, June 22, 7:05 p.m.) and Cincinnati (Friday, June 24, 7:30 p.m.).
FREDDY ADU, D.C. WILL VISIT FOR "CLASH OF THE CAPITALS"...
On Saturday, the City Islanders announced an exhibition friendly against 16-year-old superstar Freddy Adu and D.C. United on Tuesday, August 16, at Skyline Sports Complex. Kickoff will be 7:30 p.m.
Local products Josh Gros (Cumberland Valley High School) and Ben Olsen (Middletown High School), both key starters for D.C. United, have been invited as "special guests" to the match, which has been dubbed "The Clash of the Capitals."
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, June 15. Until that date, tickets will be available to season ticket holders and corporate partners, and the team will be selling entire bleachers (200 seats) for $2,000 as part of an "Own A Bleacher" program. More information is available at www.cityislanders.com, or by calling 717-441-GOAL.
Ticket prices for "The Clash of the Capitals" are as follows:
Deck View (no seats): $15
Bleacher Seats: Adults $15, Youth $10
Standing Room Only: $10
As always, ticket prices increase by $2 if purchased on Matchday.
In honor of Todd Smith, the former Harrisburg Heat player and General Manager of the Hershey Wildcats and New England Revolution who lost his battle with leukemia in December of 2003, a portion of the ticket proceeds from the match will be donated to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's "Soccer Kicks for Cancer" program.
ODDS AND ENDS...
- Over 700 area youth attended the game for free as part of a "Smoke Free Pledge" program offered by the Dauphin County Executive Commission on Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco (DCDAT).
- Showers, the rookie forward out of Northern Lebanon High School, recorded a successful penalty kick for the second straight game. With the conversion, he tied the single-season record set by Keith Costigan last year.
- Severs' second-minute goal on Saturday was the fastest in team history. The previous mark was held by Steve Fisher, who scored in the fifth minute of the team's first-ever game last April 17 in Northern Virginia.
- The City Islanders were called for 10 offsides on Saturday. Cincinnati was called for none.
- Rookie defender Dustin Bixler has played every minute (630) of the 2005 season for Harrisburg. The team mark for consecutive minutes played is 1,441 â also set by Costigan a year ago.
- Harrisburg's previous attendance high was 2,832, set in last season's opener (May 8) versus Pittsburgh.
- The City Islanders are undefeated (3-0) when leading at halftime this year.
- Defender Tommy Rutter, a member of the last two Second Division championship teams (Wilmington in 2003, Utah in 2004), returned to Harrisburg's lineup after missing three games with a hamstring problem.
- After scoring two goals through their first four games, the City Islanders have recorded six goals in their last three outings.
FOR MORE...
2005 City Islanders Statistics: http://www.cityislanders.com/driver.aspx?topic=2005Stats
USL Second Division Standings: http://www.uslsoccer.com/scripts/runisa.dll?m2:gp::72011+Elements/Display+E+47107+++++2792336
USL Second Division Statistical Leaders: http://www.uslsoccer.com/stats/2005/Top10.2792336.html
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