Silver Knights Cool off Heat
December 17, 2017 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Syracuse Silver Knights News Release
HARRISBURG, P.A. - A hat trick from Joey Tavernese propelled the Syracuse Silver Knights to an 8-5 win over the Harrisburg Heat. Syracuse dominated throughout the first quarter and staved off pressure from the Heat to secure the victory.
"This is a big win for the boys heading into the holidays," said Silver Knights Head Coach Ryan Hall. "Overall great team defense to hold the Heat offense to only 4 goals."
Both teams exerted a lot of pressure in the first quarter. A combined 13 shots were taken between the two teams. The goalkeepers were tasked with standing strong in front of their nets. Andrew Coughlin made four saves in the first frame, and Hugo Silva stopped five Syracuse shots in the first quarter.
Harrisburg took the lead on a counterattack goal from Val Teixeira, but it was all Syracuse after that. Slavisa Ubiparipovic broke a three-game goalless drought with an equalizing shot. Then, the Silver Knight defenders stepped up to the plate. Rockets from Domenico Vitale and Darren Toby gave Syracuse a 3-1 lead after one quarter of play.
The second quarter featured a much more defensive battle between the two clubs. As opposed to the first quarter, both teams combined for six shots in the second frame of play. Both teams also killed a power play in the quarter.
The player who did have the majority of chances for Syracuse was Ben Ramin. The midfielder had two excellent chances in front of net at the end of the first quarter and in the middle of the second quarter. He made sure to convert his third.
Ramin ran towards the back post of the Heat net and received a pass from Ubiparipovic. The Baldwinsville native tapped home the ball for his first goal as a Silver Knight. That gave Syracuse a 4-1 lead at halftime.
"Ben gives us a much-needed breath of fresh air when he is on the field," said Coach Hall. "He has tremendous work rate. As he becomes more comfortable with his patterns and runs, he will be more dynamic."
For a moment, it seemed that the Silver Knights put the game out of reach in the third quarter. Bo Jelovac scored 12 seconds into the third frame with a powerful shot from a tight angle. Tavernese scored 22 seconds later after he dispossessed Fred Carreiro in the Harrisburg half of the turf. The 6-1 score line in favor of Syracuse seemed insurmountable throughout the third quarter.
Harrisburg battled back into the game late in the third with three quick goals in the span of a minute and 17 seconds. Lucio Gonzaga first scored on a power play. Then, Jose Luiz Birche scored from just inside the halfway line. After that, Brad Kerstetter scored to pull the Heat to within two goals. The score was 6-4 at the end of three quarters of play.
"We knew they were going to come out firing and putting us under pressure," said Coach Hall. "The message was simple. I told the boys to take a deep breath and get back to what got us to a 6-1 lead. That was good team defense and possession."
Syracuse stifled the Heat in the fourth quarter and put the game to rest. Tavernese restored the three-goal lead for Syracuse with his second score of the game. The Heat would not go away, however. Gonzaga scored his second of the game with a goal from the penalty spot with 2:45 left to go in the quarter. Syracuse killed off the rest of the clock and Tavernese scored one more time with a second left to complete his hat trick and give Syracuse the 8-5 victory.
The Syracuse defense held strong throughout the game. Harrisburg only recorded five shots in the second half and 13 shots total. Coughlin only needed to make eight saves - his lowest tally of the season.
On the opposite side of the ball, Syracuse made Harrisburg work on the defensive end of the ball. The Silver Knights peppered the Heat goal with 21 shots. It was a balanced scoring effort as well as six different Syracuse players - including three defenders - scored goals.
Tavernese's hat trick is also his first this season. The last hat trick for the forward came last season in a January 6th match against the Heat. The Queens, N.Y. native scored four goals in that game. Tavernese now moves to 10 goals on the season to take the team lead.
The Heat play once against tomorrow on Saturday against the Baltimore Blast. Syracuse's next game is against the Heat at the OnCenter War Memorial Arena on December 29th. Kick-off is set for 7:05 p.m. For information on tickets, call 315-303-7261 or log on to syracusesilverknights.com
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