City Stars Settle For Heartbreaking 1-1 Tie With Richmond Kickers
July 21, 2007 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Cleveland City Stars News Release
Cleveland, Ohio First Place meets Second Place in the race for the postseason. For the first time this season the Cleveland City Stars and the Richmond Kickers faced off in a game that could have consequences for home field advantage in the playoffs and could be a preview of what's to come in the final matches of the 2007 season. Appropriately perhaps, the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Although the results might be expected given the similarities between the two clubs' records, it was a heartbreaking night for City Stars fans. After 86 minutes of hard fought challenges and hard won balls, the Cleveland City Stars found their magic. Richmond pressed into the box to take a shot which was blocked by Stars #8 Adam Moffat. On the counterattack Moffat smoothly fed the ball to #23 Spencer Lappin, catching him in stride. Lappin, who is celebrating his 23rd birthday tonight, accepted the gift graciously and carried it box to box where Moffat caught up with him to receive the ball deftly played across to him in front of the goal. With one step Moffat drew the Kickers keeper off his line then blasted what City Stars fans hoped would be the winning goal into the back of the net.
Jubilant and still celebrating, the CCS fans were caught off guard minutes later, when no sooner had the ref signaled for 3 minutes of stoppage time than the Kickers responded with a goal of their own. A quick strike as the offense and defense all crowded the box on a ball sent across the goal by Kickers' #9 Ricky Schramm, who had been subbed in late in the half, was finished by Richmond Forward Matt Watson leaving fans and players alike groaning. In the final minutes of the game, Cleveland tried in desperation to find a way to recapture the lead and a much needed victory, but to no avail.
From the beginning it looked like it just might be the Stars night. Although neither team took control immediately, the City Stars played with much more enthusiasm, chasing down balls and stepping to challenges. It is really not surprising given Richmond's loss to the Cincinnati Kings last night and the long ride north that brought them rolling into town at about 4:00am. Nonetheless, Richmond tried valiantly to find their stride, but were outmatched for most of the first half.
In fact, for the last ten minutes of the half, Cleveland's midfield controlled the pace dispensing the ball at will to the outside, beautifully executing the give and go and creating plenty of viable scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, none of the Stars could find that final touch to put the ball away. At the other end of the pitch, Hunter Gilstrap held his ground, easily handling everything Richmond managed to send his way, including a heart pounding challenge in the final minutes of the first half.
Even though the lineups were identical when the clubs returned to the pitch they couldn't have looked more different. Whereas Cleveland had been moving the ball gracefully, and fluidly, they began to give the ball away more frequently and make unforced errors. Richmond couldn't capitalize on any particular mistake, but the Stars began to feel the pressure as the Kickers found themselves in the offensive half more often. And then it happened. The game changed in a matter of seconds. For all the disappointment that the final minute holds for the Cleveland City Stars fans, the buildup to their only goal tonight was fantastic. Everyone present could see it unfold, and the collective will of the stands refused to accept anything less than a score. For a moment, it was perfect.
"We executed our game plan as outlined in the first half, and thought we didn't finish, we were very successful. Unfortunately, even a small alteration on either side can change the outcome of a match. It wasn't a loss tonight, but it certainly wasn't a win. We can do better," expounded CCS Head Coach Martin Rennie.
And the Stars will get a chance to do just that in the final game of the regular season when they travel to Richmond to prove they are for real. At this point, no one will be satisfied with anything less than a victory.
A victory is what the Cleveland City Stars Reserve Team earned tonight when they faced the Croatian team from the Lake Erie Men's League. The Reserves gave a solid performance to finish with a 3-1 win and a good showing against a local powerhouse.
The Stars look forward to a meeting with the Charlotte Eagles next Saturday July 28th. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm at Krenzler and the City Stars hope to have a stadium full of rowdy fans to bring home a victory. CCS is hosting a Faith Night after the game with a special musical performance by Tony DiBenedetto and also the Mosaic Worship Band. Additionally, several of the City Stars & Charlotte players will be giving their personal testimonies. Church groups can plan an outing and purchase tickets in advance, or just show up and enjoy the night.
Help keep the Stars in contention and witness history being made. The final two home games are set for Saturday July 28th and Friday August 3rd. In between the Stars will host the Columbus Crew and continue preparing for the playoffs. Make the dream come true - a championship in their inaugural season.
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United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 21, 2007
- Eagles Celebrate 15 years with 1-0 Win Over Wilmington - Charlotte Eagles
- Baltimore Stuns Phantoms with 91st Minute Game-Winner - New Hampshire Phantoms
- City Stars Settle For Heartbreaking 1-1 Tie With Richmond Kickers - Cleveland City Stars
- Lady Eagles Finishing with a BANG, 8-0 Over Fredericksburg - Charlotte Eagles
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