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Rematch Looms Large for the Aztex

September 23, 2010 - U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 (USSF D-2)
Austin Aztex News Release


AUSTIN, Texas (www.austinaztex.com) - Sixteen-year old Luis Gil struck a dagger in the Austin Aztex hearts in the 93rd minute at Anheuser Busch Soccer Park in St. Louis last Saturday night, which gave AC St. Louis its first victory all season against Austin. This Saturday, the Aztex and St. Louis rematch at 7:30 p.m. CST at House Park for the final time this season in a four-game series. Prior to the road loss, the Aztex had been dominant against St. Louis this year, winning by a combined 4-1 score, while outshooting them 35-11 and taking 12 corner kicks compared to their two.

The game takes on extra meaning for the Aztex, who must finish the season unbeaten if they are to unseat Rochester for the top seed if the Rhinos win their remaining two games. Currently, the Aztex are one point behind the Rhinos in the standings. On Wednesday night, St. Louis' playoff hopes were dashed when they were the fourth team eliminated after a loss to Miami FC. Their loss gave eight teams playoff berths in the upcoming USSF Division-2 Pro League, though the order is yet to be settled. The Aztex have secured the third seed at worst and are still in contention for the league's top spot in the playoffs that begin on October 6.

AC St. Louis comes into the game as one of five teams in the league with a negative goal differential, but do have the league's fourth-highest scorer on their squad in Mike Ambersley. Ambersley's nine goals account for nearly a third of his team's total scoring this season, while only two other players have more than two goals.

On the other hand, Austin's 48 goals lead the league by a likely-insurmountable nine tallies as 12 players have contributed to the total with an astounding 34 assists leading to its 48 goals. Leading goal scorer Eddie Johnson is now also just one goal behind Portland's Ryan Pore for the league lead, while Max Griffin and Jamie Watson are keeping pace with eight and seven goals, respectively.

The 7:30 p.m. kickoff to the Aztex final regular season home can be seen streamed live on www.austinaztex.com. Austin's final two games are on the road at Carolina on October 1 and at Montreal on October 3.

Game Notes:

Series History: Austin is 2-1-0 against the first-year franchise from St. Louis, winning both of the opening games at home and on the road before dropping the last contest at Anheuser Busch Soccer Park. In three games, Austin has scored five goals compared to three for its NASL Conference opponent.

Playoff Chase: With the USSF D-2 Pro League playoffs beginning in two weeks, the only thing that has been decided is the eight participating teams. After St. Louis' loss to Miami FC on Wednesday night, Montreal locked down the eighth and final spot in the playoffs, but there is still plenty of room for teams to make a move in the standings with two games left. Currently, Rochester and Vancouver hold the top two seeds in the playoffs with Austin only two points away from the No. 1 seed outright. A victory against either Montreal or Portland or a Carolina RailHawks loss would ensure Vancouver the second seed, while one point from Rochester or two from Austin would guarantee the USL Conference first place in the league. Montreal, Minnesota and Puerto Rico all fall within one point of each other for the sixth-eighth spots in the league.

The Trio Remains on Top: Eddie Johnson, Max Griffin and Jamie Watson have remained near the top of the points list for most of the season and are currently second, third and tied for fourth, respectively. Johnson is only two points and one goal behind Portland's Ryan Pore for the lead in both categories, while Griffin and Watson have both accumulated points by scoring and setting teammates up for the finish.

Undefeated: Austin is 3-0-1 this season when coming off a loss, which it faces this game after a 2-1 decision at AC St. Louis last week. The Aztex suffered their first loss of the year when scoring in the second half though, seeing their record drop to 12-1-4.

Corner Kick to Victory: This season Austin is 5-0-4 when taking more than five corner kicks in a game, but have managed just the eighth most corner kicks in the league this season with only about four per game. St. Louis gets to the corner flag slightly less than the Aztex though, averaging about 3.5 corner kicks a game.

Injury Report: Midfielders Lawrence Olum (Groin), Joey Worthen (Hamstring) and Stephan Campbell (Groin) are still nursing injuries and remain out for the home finale.



U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 Stories from September 23, 2010


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