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NASL FC Edmonton

Eddies Inspired Effort Comes up Short in 1-0 Defeat to Rowdies

April 16, 2016 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
FC Edmonton News Release


FC Edmonton (0W-1D-2L) came up short in their second road match of the season, conceding a 1-0 defeat to Tampa Bay Rowdies (1W-2D-0L), April 16 at Al Lang Stadium.

Rowdies' striker Tom Heinemann's lone goal of the match was the difference Saturday night, while goalkeepers Matt Pickens and Matt VanOekel made key plays throughout the match for their respective teams.

The Eddies opened up with an inspired half of play in St. Petersburg. While possession favoured the home side, the Eddies came out of the opening 45 with an edge in quality looks on net.

The Eddies received several chances during the first half of play, including a touch-perfect through ball from striker Daryl Fordyce to teammate Jake Keegan on 16 minutes. Well inside the box, Keegan's shot was stopped and cleared by Pickens to deny the forward his first goal as an Eddie. Fordyce and Keegan were at it again moments later, this time with Keegan breaking up the right wing and feeding Fordyce with a cross towards goal that was just out of reach of the striker.

The Rowdies were not without their own opportunities. Georgi Hristov and Heinemann received free kicks from just outside the box in the opening 20 minutes of play with shots that were unable to find their way through the Eddies defence.

The home side's most dangerous looks on net came in the latter stages of the half, with the Rowdies awarded a free kick on 31 minutes from 20 yards out. Fortunately for the Eddies, Michael Nanchoff's left footed strike would curl wide right of the net.

The best opportunity for either side in the half came in stoppage time, as Hristov's shot from the centre of the box was met by VanOekel. The two sides would head into the break in a 0-0 draw.

An uneventful opening to the second half of play saw the Rowdies maintaining an edge in possesion over their Canadian opponents. Hoping to add pace to his side's attack, Eddies head coach Colin Miller brought in Tomi Ameobi and winger Sainey Nyassi in the 69th minute of play.

Despite a positive reaction from the Eddies following the substitutions, the Rowdies would break the scoreless deadlock in the 73rd minute. Heinemann redirected an Eric Avila cross with a header to the back of the net to push the Rowdies up 1-0 in the match in what be the eventual game-winner.

A last-ditch attempt by the Eddies into the attacking third generated a penalty kick opportunity for the visitors, but Ameobi's low strike to the bottom left corner was guessed correctly by Pickens, who sprawled out to make the save and lift his team to their first victory of the 2016 NASL season.

"I'm sick to be honest," Miller stated following the match. "I can't fault the players, they gave absolutely everything tonight. It sums up our luck in front of goal, Pickens made two or three good saves here tonight...I'm gutted for the players because they gave heart and soul."

The Eddies return to Clarke Field, April 24 to face Canadian rival and 2015 NASL runner-up Ottawa Fury FC at 2:00 p.m. (MT).

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North American Soccer League Stories from April 16, 2016


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