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Scorpions Drop Fall Season Opener 0-4 to FC Edmonton

July 5, 2015 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
San Antonio Scorpions News Release


FORT MCMURRAY, ALBERTA (July 5, 2015)-- The San Antonio Scorpions fell 0-4 to FC Edmonton in a match that saw two penalties, two red cards and a lot of frustration for the Scorpions.

In the opening moments of the game the tone of the match was set as FC Edmonton forward Sadi Jalali was awarded a controversial penalty kick in the 2' after what looked to be a routine challenge by Marvin Chávez inside the box. Jalali netted the penalty, giving the Eddies a 1-0 advantage in jus the 3rd minute of the match.

The rest of the first half saw many opportunities for the Scorpions, but the red and black couldn't put those chances into the net. In the 12', Scorpions forward Omar Cummings had a one-on-one with Edmonton goalkeeper Matt VanOekel after he ran down a header into the box unmarked. However, VanOekel batted the shot away as the two met just in front of the penalty area, stifling the Scorpions attack. San Antonio attempted five more shots in the first half, with their next best chance coming in the 37'. Cummings found a run into the left side of the box and was able to play a pass across the area to midfielder Josu?- Soto. Soto got a clean look at goal, but his hard ground ball banged off the left post.

The second half began with another crucial chance for the Alamo City boys. In the 51', Scorpions midfielder Rafael Castillo received the ball at the top of the Edmonton box and played it to the left hand-side to an onrushing Billy Forbes. Forbes, who scored twice against Edmonton back on May 17th, made a nice run into the 18 and fired a shot towards the lower right corner. However, the lining attempt just skipped past the post and out of bounds.

The final 35 minutes of the game saw the Scorpions frustration boil over, leading to the final three goals. In the 54', a mysterious whistle from the officiating crew waived off a goal scored by Scorpions defender Adrian Cann off of a Rafael Castillo corner kick. Two Eddies were positioned on the goal line when the corner was taken and contact between the players looked to be typical set piece jostling.

Another questionable officiating decision led to a red card on midfielder Nana Attakora in the 65' after Attakora took down Edmonton forward Michael Nonni from behind. The replay showed Attakora committed the foul outside of the box, but the referee awarded Edmonton with another penalty, making the score 2-0. After the PK was converted by Edmonton midfielder Lance Laing, Scorpions goalkeeper Daryl Sattler was sent off for kicking the ball at a group of Edmonton players celebrating the score.

With nine men left to fend off the Eddies, the Scorpions struggled to keep the score low. Hanson Bokai scored his first career NASL goal for the Eddies in the 73', and then Laing scored on a wicked free kick from 20 yards out just ten minutes later, giving Edmonton the final 4-0 scoreline.

The Scorpions return home on July 11th t 7:30pm to play the Tampa Bay Rowdies in their Fall Season home opener.

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