Late Penalty Leads to a Narrow Paradise Defeat for Military Appreciation Night
USL1 Sarasota Paradise

Late Penalty Leads to a Narrow Paradise Defeat for Military Appreciation Night

Published on May 19, 2026 under United Soccer League One (USL1)
Sarasota Paradise News Release


Saturday, May 16th marked Military Appreciation Night for the Sarasota Paradise as they honored the brave men and women who have served our country. The night featured a special recognition for a hero of the game from a veteran in attendance as well as the gifting of a car during halftime.

The Sarasota Paradise fed off of the lively atmosphere in the stadium and were able to maintain a high press in order to control the game tempo. They dominated possession and territory, with a pass count of 424 to AV Alta's 288, as well as more final third entries, with 45 compared to AV Alta's 38.

While AV Alta was out shot 18 to 8, they capitalized on a defensive mistake towards the end of the first half, leading to a Jerry Desdunes strike to give the advantage to AV Alta entering into the break.

The Paradise made a tactical change entering into the second half, with defender Declan Watters entering into the game. This change proved fruitful, as the Paradise were able to find their equalizer shortly thereafter. A failed clearance from AV Alta fell at the feet of Anderson Rosa, who took his space and launched a strike from outside the box, beating the AV Alta keeper and hitting the back of the net.

Sarasota looked the favorite to break the 1-1 deadlock when AV Alta launched a counter attack against the run of play. Their counter resulted in a penalty decision, as the referee determined the midfielder Jørgen Pettersen obstructed AV Alta's Adam Aoumaich in the box, leading to a penalty kick. Aoumaich stepped up to the spot and buried the kick, giving AV Alta the lead late in the game.

The Paradise continued to attack and searched for an equalizer late into stoppage time. Two late shots from Ethan Bryant and Amadeus Linderoth were brilliantly denied by AV Alta goalkeeper Denzil Smith, allowing Alta to escape Premier Sports Campus with all three points.

The Paradise look to build from this performance as they encounter a lengthy away trip next, playing in Spokane on Sunday, May 24th and then visiting AC Boise on their home turf on Wednesday, May 27th

Quotes:

Head Coach Mika Elovaara:

"...one of the most important outtakes is also the incredible support of the crowd. When we scored early in the second half the crowd really got excited as well and got behind us and the boys definitely feed off from that. So, lot's to take forward in terms of positives but at the same time we must continue to analyze and improve in the areas where we're gonna actually start getting some results."

Jordan Bender:

"Me personally...I might just be speaking for myself but that was one of the best games I've felt in terms of energy from the guys and I'm very grateful that everyone...nobody stopped until the last whistle, I mean we almost could have had two goals in the end there...and I think it's gonna come together. It's obviously not the result we wanted but it's something to build on."

Anderson Rosa:

"I think as I said the things we worked on this week... we did very well, kept possession, created chances... unfortunately it's football, the results don't come sometimes but I think it was a great effort for the whole team and just keep building from the next games."

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United Soccer League One Stories from May 19, 2026


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