Cleveland City Stars Draw 1-1 in New Englandâ¦.Again.
July 14, 2007 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Cleveland City Stars News Release
In the boisterous confines of Lusitano Stadium in Ludlow, MA, the City Stars played their second game in two nights in New England, this time against the Western Mass Pioneers. The City Stars drew with the New Hampshire Phantoms 1-1 the previous night to improve their record to 8-1-5 (29 points) and entered the game in second place in the USL Second Division.
The game got off to a quick start with the Western Mass Pioneers opening the scoring in the 13th minute through a good strike from Jeff Deren. Despite the goal, the City Stars had been dominating possession and their hard work paid off when Dana McGregor finished a Luke Williams cross in the 26th minute. The score remained 1-1 at half time; although, Pioneers' striker, Jeff Deren came close again, hitting the post with a powerful shot from distance.
During the first half, City Stars striker, Gerardo Alvarez sustained an elbow to the head which left the Cleveland player on the ground for a considerable length of time. He was substituted out at half time and later taken to hospital as a precautionary measure for a serious concussion.
In the second half, both sides battled to get a result. The game, however, became bogged down in the midfield with few chances being created. After a red card to Pioneers defender, Fabian Lewis, the City Stars started creating more goalscoring opportunities and pressed for the win. The closest Cleveland came, however, was in the final few minutes with Nigel Codrington forcing Kevin Trapp into a fine save. The victory was not be on this night as the clock ran out and the game remained tied at 1-1.
With the draw, the Cleveland City Stars record improved to 8-1-6 (30 points). They remain in second place and are now one step closer to the playoffs with five regular season games remaining. Western Mass remain in fifth place and still need some results to get into the all important fourth and final playoff spot.
The City Stars now travel to Bermuda to take on the Hogges on Wednesday night. Fortunately for Cleveland, it is the last game of a lengthy three game road trip. Earlier in the season, the City Stars defeated the Hogges 2-0 at home and the City Stars will be looking for a victory to close out the road trip.
The City Stars next home game comes against the Richmond Kickers on July 21. This night is being billed as "First versus Second" with the top two teams in the USL Second Division facing off at Krenzler Stadium. At stake against the Kickers is a playoff spot and possible home field advantage. The night is designated as "Business Leaders Night" and discounts are available to eligible business leaders in the community. Business leaders can sign up online for this special promotion at www.clevelandcitystars.com
In addition to this promotion, tickets are available at discounted prices for the last three home games of the City Stars inaugural season. More information is available at the website.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 14, 2007
- Hogges take down Kings - Cincinnati Kings
- Cleveland City Stars Draw 1-1 in New Englandâ¦.Again. - Cleveland City Stars
- Missed Opportunities Continues To Plague Charlotte in 3-1 Loss to Richmond - Charlotte Eagles
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
