Eagles Fall to City Islanders 4-0
June 1, 2013 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charlotte Eagles News Release
Charlotte, NC -- The Harrisburg City Islanders started quickly against the Charlotte Eagles with three goals in the first 22 minutes. They went on to add a 4th goal late in the game to beat the Eagles 4-0 and move into 2nd place in the league standings. Charlotte will now regroup and head to Charleston on Wednesday night.
Harrisburg took an early 1-0 lead on the Eagles thanks to a Chris Hernandez free kick goal from just outside the penalty area.
The Eagles created chance came in the 16th minute as Juan Guzman found Christian Ramirez inside the penalty area but Ramirez's shot was smothered by Nick Noble. Harrisburg countered in the 18th minute as Aaron Wheeler's left footed shot hit the right post and glanced in around goalkeeper Eric Reed to give the City Islanders a 2-0 lead in the first 20 minutes.
Harrisburg received a penalty kick in the 22nd minute and Aaron Wheeler doubled his tally by converting the penalty, making it 3-0.
The City Islanders and Eagles traded possession and shots in the final 20 minutes but neither team finished their chances and Harrisburg took a 3-0 lead into halftime.
Charlotte opened the second half searching for a goal but couldn't find that final ball.
Evan Harding made his Charlotte Eagles debut coming on in relief of Ben Newnam as the Eagles made a quartet of changes in the 60th minute. Samuel Asante's chip cross in the 88th minute was the Eagles last effort but it was caught by Noble.
"We just didn't start well, in this league you can't chase games against top teams," added Mark Steffens. "Their three goal scorers are MLS players. They're a strong team that you can't get down early too. They played last night but with their depth they started four attacking players who were fresh."
Harrisburg caught Charlotte on a counter attack in the 89th minute and Jimmy McLaughlin added the 4th goal of the night for the City Islanders. The 4-0 victory in Charlotte combined with the 2-1 victory over Charleston Battery on Friday moves Harrisburg into 2nd place in the league standings.
The first home loss of the year puts the Eagles record at 3-2-4 and into a 3-way tie for 8th place.
The Eagles next league match comes on Wednesday, June 5th at the Charleston Battery. In the previous matchup against the Battery, Shaun Francis' free kick was the decisive goal of the night in a 1-0 Eagles victory. Be sure to log on to USLNation.com to catch the stream of the match against the Battery.
Charlotte's next home match will be against the Chicago Fire reserves on Friday, June 14th at Queens Sports Complex. Keep that Orange Flag Flying High and we'll see you on Friday, June 14th!
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United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 1, 2013
- Wilmington Hammerheads Secure Victory over Wolves - Wilmington Hammerheads FC
- Eagles Fall to City Islanders 4-0 - Charlotte Eagles
- Riverhounds Extend Unbeaten Streak to Six in USL PRO Play - Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- VSI and Portland Timbers Fight to a Draw - VSI Tampa Bay FC
- Wolves Play Strong In Road Loss - Phoenix FC
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