Mariners fall to Charleston and out of playoff contention
August 22, 2004 - USL First Division (USL-1) - Virginia Beach Mariners News Release
Virginia Beach, Virginia – The Virginia Beach Mariners dropped a heartbreaker to Charleston 2-1 Friday night and the team’s run to the playoffs came to an abrupt end. With the loss and only two matches remaining, the Mariners will be unable to catch either Atlanta or Rochester for the fourth and final Eastern Conference playoff berth.
The match, being televised live on Fox Sports World in front of the seasonÂ’s largest crowd of 4,843 fans, was close and exciting from start to finish. CharlestonÂ’s Greg Simmonds opened the scoring unassisted in the 16th minute when Ted Chronopoulos was brought down just outside the box, giving the Battery a free kick that Simmonds sent into the upper right corner. But the Mariners leveled the score on what can surely be in the running for the goal of the year by Steve Shak who received the ball at the 25-yard mark and unleashed a rocket into the upper right corner of the net.
Charleston scored the game-winner in the 72nd minute on a Jason Kutney goal from a Justin Evans assist.
The Mariners had a chance to tie 12 minutes later when Carlos Garcia was taken down in the box and was awarded a penalty kick. Dante WashingtonÂ’s attempt went over the bar.
The teams meet again Sunday at Blackbaud Stadium at 6 p.m. The Mariners will return home on August 28 at 7:30 p.m. against Syracuse for the last game of the 2004 season.
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USL First Division Stories from August 22, 2004
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