Mustangs Continue Perfect Season with Ease Over Illinois Piasa
January 13, 2014 - Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL)
Chicago Mustangs News Release
The Chicago Mustangs of the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL) have stretched their perfect season to nine wins without a loss this past Saturday in Southern Illinois. The Illinois Piasa, who have been struggling to find their grove this season in the PASL, were out matched by the speedy Mustangs crew with the final outcome being an overwhelming score of 13-1. "This was not a game where we felt we had to make a statement, we know and respect our opponents from just south of us" said Mustangs Team President Armando Gamboa. He continued on saying "our focus is always to win the match, but our ulterior motive was to work on different lines as well as fix minor problems in our system that need to be addressed at game speed." The Mustangs looked extremely comfortable coming into the game, as they have for most the games so far this season. When asked if that was confidence, team captain, and PASL top ranked goalkeeper Jesus Flores responded, "When you have teammates like these, it's hard not to be [confident]."
All it took was 0:22 seconds for the Mustangs to put a goal on the board. Efrain "Wilo" Martinez sent a cross pass to fellow countryman Miguel Vaca for an easy put in past the Piasa's backline. Although the mustangs have traditionally came out of the gate strong against teams this season, after the opening goal the team seemed to struggle to find the back of the net. Much of the credit for the Mustangs early struggle should be awarded to Adam Baldi, goalkeeper for the Piasa, who made several spectacular saves throughout the game. Also, the Mustangs did not help their own cause by giving Illinois two power play opportunities in the first half alone. However, even though it wasn't pretty the Mustangs were able to take it into halftime with a 3-0 lead.
The Mustangs came out in the second half and showed why they were the dominant team in the East. The players began to put on a ball movement clinic for the fans out in Pontoon Beach, Illinois, and before you knew it the Mustangs had grew their lead to 11-0 over the home side. It was one momentary lapse of judgment by the Mustang's defense that lead to Illinois' only goal of the match. Mustangs defender Rodolfo "Cheneque" Vazquez made the poor decision to contest a ball just inside the box, and made contact with an opponent in the process, Karen Swanner, lead official for the night's match, had no choice but to call penalty shot. Following the penalty shot (and a technicality that took away the first attempt being saved by Flores) the Mustangs put on cruise control to finish off the game with a final score of 13-1.
The Mustangs will now prepare to continue the unbeaten streak this Saturday, January 18, 2014 at the teams home of Grand Sports Arena in Hoffman Estates. The match-up will see the undefeated Mustangs take on the Eastern Division's 2nd place team, the Cleveland Freeze, for the last time in this regular season. Some would say this match as the last big test for the dominating Chicago franchise, that looks to finish the sixteen (16) game untethered and make history by doing so. With only a few opportunities left this regular season for fans to catch the Mustangs at home, fans are being directed to the teams ticket page to purchase tickets in advance. "With the success of the team on the field, we have seen a large influx in calls and emails about tickets for upcoming matches," said Mustangs General Manager Nasser Rafidia. Interested parties should visit: http://chicagomustangspro.ticketleap.com/13game6/t/CFPR14/ to purchase advance to insure their seats for these last few matches of the season. More information on this game, and all the Mustangs upcoming games can be seen on the team's webpage chicagomustangspro.com.
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Professional Arena Soccer League Stories from January 13, 2014
- Harrisburg Heat Weekly - Harrisburg Heat
- Mustangs Continue Perfect Season with Ease Over Illinois Piasa - Chicago Mustangs
- Legends Top Sockers - Las Vegas Legends
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