Scorpions Retake Sole Possession of First Place with 2-1 Win

Published on August 23, 2014 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
San Antonio Scorpions News Release


SAN ANTONIO, TX - The San Antonio Scorpions retook sole possession of first place in the NASL's Fall Season standings with a 2-1 victory over the Atlanta Silverbacks at Toyota Field Saturday evening. César Elizondo scored and drew a penalty kick to lead the team to a win that extends the Scorpions' unbeaten run at home to seven games.

Elizondo scored his first goal as a Scorpion in the 49' minute off the rebound of a Tomasz Zahorski shot. Atlanta 'keeper Eric Ati - who overall had a standout game - was unable to hold onto the hit from just outside the box and the onrushing Elizondo chested the loose ball to himself and then roofed the ball with a powerful shot from a few feet away.

Ati came up big on a Restrepo shot from about 16 yards away in the 58' minute, but made a mistake 20 minutes later to hand the Scorpions what would eventually be the game winning goal. Elizondo and Ati raced each other for a 50-50 ball in the Atlanta area and the Scorpions forward just barely beat the backstop to the ball. Ati went through Elizondo on the play and the referee immediately pointed to the spot. Walter Restrepo stepped up for the Alamo City boys and buried the penalty shot low and left even though Ati guessed correctly on the direction.

The teams ended the first half tied 0-0, but almost surprisingly so as there was tremendous action in the offensive third. Atlanta had the best early chances with a dangerous cross in the box in the 10' that Scorpions centerback Greg Janicki was forced to clear over his endline to set up a subsequent Silverbacks corner kick. But the remainder of the half was virtually one-way traffic from the Scorpions towards the visitors' goal as they racked up chance after chance.

In the 12' and 14' minutes, Restrepo and Zahorski had back-to-back close calls off of corner kicks. The second went just high over a leaping Zahorski, but the first found its target and the big forward sent his header right towards the goal. The shot was cleared off the line, though, by the Silverbacks' Kwadwo Poku.

Later around the 36' minute mark, Restrepo was at it again when he received a long outlet pass from Rafael Castillo and then used some fancy footwork to weave his way along the endline and through the Silverbacks' defense. Restrepo's tight angle shot was parried over the endline by Ati, and on the subsequent corner kick the Scorpions had a shot cleared off the line for the second time, this one sent in by defender Julius James.

San Antonio will have a short week with a game Friday night in Ft. Lauderdale against the Strikers. Atlanta will be on the road as well, but a few hours north in North Carolina to take on the RailHawks.

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North American Soccer League Stories from August 23, 2014


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