Hammerheads Find Game Winner Deep in Extra Time to Edge Islanders
June 3, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Penn FC News Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. - Wilmington Hammerheads FC mustered a late winner in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time as Kyle Parker notched his second of the game to lift Wilmington to a dramatic 3-2 victory against the Harrisburg City Islanders on Friday at Legion Stadium. Parker's header off of an Ashani Fairclough assist gave Wilmington to its second consecutive league win. Fairclough and Parker pushed early for Wilmington, notching back-to-back goals for a 2-0 lead through the first 14 minutes. Then Harrisburg's Bobby Warshaw singlehandedly brought his team back into the match with a brace, scoring in the 17th minute and then equalizing in the 27th. Wilmington improves to 4-4-3 (15 points) overall and 2-2-2 at home. The City Islanders fall to 4-7-1 (13 points) and 1-5-0 on the road.
Scoring:
3' - WIL - Ashani Fairclough
14' - WIL - Kyle Parker (Austin Martz)
17' - HAR - Bobby Warshaw
27' - HAR - Bobby Warshaw (Jose Barril)
90' - WIL - Kyle Parker (Ashani Fairclough)
Three Things That Mattered:
1. Though the lead didn't hold, the Hammerheads made some good strides this week offensively with their quick starts. They netted two goals in five minutes to open their 2-1 victory against Miami FC in the Third Round match of the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday. Then on Friday, Wilmington grabbed a 2-0 lead in 14 minutes against Harrisburg. Ashani Fairclough cleaned up with a close-range volley shortly after Mael Corboz's corner kick from the right. Then Austin Martz intercepted the ball in midfield to set up Kyle Parker's 14th-minute score. Parker dribbled in from the right and carefully placed his show to the lower left of the frame for a 2-0 advantage. With Parker then closing the deal with a stoppage-time winner, the Hammerheads' offense perhaps has turned a corner after sustaining a five-game stretch from April 22-May 21 that included only two goals.
2. With City Islanders forward Aaron Wheeler serving the first of a three-game suspension, there was a question of who would step up offensively. After all, Wheeler had contributed three goals and an assist within a two-game stretch on May 22 and 24. The answer proved to be midfielder Bobby Warshaw on Friday. After going down two goals, Warshaw provided the top highlight of the night with a thunderous long-distance volley into the left of the frame in the 17th minute to get on the score sheet. Warshaw then followed with a set piece header in the 27th minute off of Jose Barril's free kick to tie the score at 2-2. Warshaw now has three goals on the season. Barril leads the City Islanders with four assists.
3. Wilmington goalkeeper John Smits rose in the moment during the second half as both sides were searching for that go-ahead goal. Smits, who has played every minute in goal for the Hammerheads this year, was called upon three times in the span of a four-minute stretch from the 69th to 73rd minutes. Some diving stops and a key punch-out kept Harrisburg at bay. Also noteworthy, Harrisburg backup goalkeeper Keasel Broome, getting the call ahead of Nick Noble, made a clutch stop against Wilmington's Peabo Doue in the 69th minute. However, Broome and the defense could not stave off Wilmington's final push in second-half stoppage time.
USLSoccer.com Man of the Match:
Kyle Parker, Wilmington Hammerheads FC - When a draw seemed inevitable, Parker tallied his second goal in the dying moments of the match to give his side a thrilling victory.
Upcoming Games:
June 9: Harrisburg City Islanders at New York Red Bulls II; 7 p.m. ET, Red Bull Arena
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