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Scorpions Win Fall Title, Strikers Clinch Final Postseason Spot in Drama-Filled Night of NASL Action

November 1, 2014 - North American Soccer League (NASL) News Release


NEW YORK - In the final weekend of the North American Soccer League (NASL) Fall Season, the drama lasted until the final minute...literally. San Antonio Scorpions defender Adrian Cann found the net with just seconds remaining in stoppage time to earn his team a 1-0 win over the New York Cosmos and more importantly the 2014 NASL Fall Season Championship.

In addition to the Fall Season Championship being up for grabs going into Saturday night, the final spot in The Championship, the league's four-team postseason tournament, was available for the taking. In the end, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers came away with the final postseason spot, scoring a late equalizer against 10-man Ottawa Fury FC to book their place in The Championship.

The postseason field is now set, with two semifinal matches set for Saturday, November 8. Top-seeded Minnesota United FC will host the Strikers at NSC Stadium at 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET), while the #2 seed, the Scorpions, will host the Cosmos for a second straight week at 7:30 p.m. CT (8:30 p.m. ET) at Toyota Field.

San Antonio Scorpions 1, New York Cosmos 0

With just seconds left in a scoreless match, it looked like the Scorpions were going to come up short in their quest for a trophy. That was until Cann found the ball at his feet in the middle of a pack of players in the penalty area. The Canadian defender fired a left-footed shot into an open net, sending Toyota Field into absolute pandemonium. The 1-0 victory gives the Scorpions momentum going into next weekend's semifinal match against this same Cosmos team.

"Hats off to our guys because they came together for one common goal tonight," said Scorpions head coach Alen Marcina. "We have achieved one of our goals and we have one more left to achieve. It's going to be an entertaining semifinal next weekend. We're going to enjoy this tonight and get back to work tomorrow."

Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1, Ottawa Fury FC 1

After 45 minutes of play, the Strikers postseason hopes weren't looking so good. The Carolina RailHawks, who trailed the Strikers by two points entering Saturday, led Minnesota United FC 1-0 at halftime, while the Strikers trailed Ottawa Fury FC by the same score after one half of play. A red card early in the second half for Fury FC's Mauro Eustaquio helped the Strikers find their way, and in the 86th minute, forward Aly Hassan found the net to even the score at 1-1. The goal, combined with a United comeback in Carolina, was enough to give the Strikers the postseason shot they were hoping for.

"It was a good goal for me and for the team. Fafa [Picault] laid it off to me and I got the job done by finishing it into the net," Hassan said. "It was a hard-fought match. We went down early, and we knew we had to score to get a result, so the team worked hard and did what we set out to do."

Carolina RailHawks 2, Minnesota United FC 2

Down two points going into the final weekend, the RailHawks were always going to need the stars to align for them to earn a trip to the postseason. After forward Nacho Novo scored midway through the first half, the RailHawks were in a favorable position, but then United's main scoring threat made an appearance. Forward Christian Ramirez scored his league-leading 20th goal of the year to level matters at 1-1. The RailHawks climbed back on top through midfielder Nazmi Albadawi, but an own goal by defender Connor Tobin ensured a 2-2 score - a result that wasn't good enough to send the RailHawks through to The Championship.

"I thought we were exceptional in the first half, and I thought we did very, very well," said RailHawks head coach Colin Clarke. "We knew it was going to be a tough second half against the wind. We didn't start the second half well, and we gave too many easy balls away to give them all the momentum and paid for it."

Tampa Bay Rowdies 2, Indy Eleven 2

Even though it was the only match without title or postseason implications, the clash between the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Indy Eleven on Saturday night went down to the wire. After midfielders Evans Frimpong and Don Smart found the net for Tampa Bay and Indy respectively, the visitors looked as if they would snatch all three points, going ahead through Brazilian forward Jhulliam in the 88th minute. Rowdies forward Amani Walker answered right back, however, evening the score at 2-2 with a last-gasp strike to clinch a share of the points in the 2014 Fall Season finale.

"Our fans have been tremendous. We lost seven times at home, which is unheard of. It's not good. That's the reason why we had the season we had," said Rowdies head coach Ricky Hill. "But they come out every time we play and I'm disappointed that we weren't able to give them more happy nights this season."

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North American Soccer League Stories from November 1, 2014


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