Islanders Fall to Minnesota Stars in First Round of Playoffs
September 30, 2012 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Puerto Rico Islanders News Release
(Bayamon, PR) - It is the end of the 2012 season for the Puerto Rico Islanders as they fell 1 - 2 to the Minnesota Stars tonight at Juan RamÃ"n Loubriel in the NASL Quarterfinal match. It was all or nothing for both teams, and with this result the Stars will continue their playoff run to semifinals.
Head Coach Adrian Whitbread spoke to the Club's official website after the match: "It was a disappointing result. We did not expect to finish the season so soon. The first half was a little slow for us and, although we had a little comeback in the second half, it was not enough. I'm still very proud of my team and I want to thank all our fans for supporting us throughout this season."
Both teams took to the field with everything they had. As early as the 2nd minute, a cross from Bracalello to Amani Walker almost gave the Minnesota the lead, but the Stars' forward could not reach the ball on time. The goal did arrive a couple of minutes later when the same combination reached the box and Bracalello's assist turned into a header from Walker that gave the Stars an early lead in the 9th minute.
Minnesota dominated the field throughout the first half, but the Islanders got their fair share of chances. In the 30th minute a series of passes ended up with a cross to Delgado in the box who tried to head it into the net, but his shot went wide.
Just before the first half was over, the Stars increased their lead when Miguel Ibarra gave Minnesota their second goal of the night.
The second half saw a more aggressive Islanders and subs Joseph "Jackie" Marrero, Joshua Hansen and Hector Ramos brought the team back to life and the locals started reaching the box once again.
The goal for the Islanders arrived in the 79th minute when David Foley received an assist from Hansen and finally reached the net for the locals.
The match almost became a tie in the 85th minute when a cross from Ramos reached Addlery without Stars' goalkeeper in sight, but Addlery tripped on the ball and never made it to goal. After intense last minutes of play, the final whistle brought an end to the match with a 2-1 lead for the Minnesota Stars, ending the Islanders' 2012 season.
• Discuss this story on the North American Soccer League message board...
North American Soccer League Stories from September 30, 2012
- Islanders Fall to Minnesota Stars in First Round of Playoffs - Puerto Rico Islanders
- Stars Beat Islanders 2-1, Advance to NASL Semifinals - Minnesota United FC
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.
