Silverbacks Equalize to Split Points vs. Ottawa

Published on April 11, 2015 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Atlanta Silverbacks News Release


ATLANTA - The Atlanta Silverbacks added a point to their league total after a 1-all draw with Ottawa Fury FC.

The Silverbacks, after seeing promising signs in their home opener, fielded the same 11 players they did the week ago against the Indy Eleven. Fury FC came into the game a little light after midfielder Julian De Guzman was red carded, and thus suspended, in Ottawa's opener against the Carolina RailHawks.

"This was certainly the best team performance by our team," Silverbacks head coach Gary Smith. "I thought we created a lot of chances, and probably deserved more than the one point we got out of it. That's football though, and it'll even itself out. We will catch some bounces and we might get some points out of matches that we don't deserve.

"As a whole, the team played well from back to front. Our goalkeeper (C.J. Cochran) is a rookie and it was just his second match, our backline is still working some things out and the midfielders and forwards are linking up like they've played together for much longer than they actually have."

After a nervy start, the Silverbacks found themselves moving into Ottawa's half fairly regularly and Jon Okafor was given the first chance for an Atlanta goal in the 14th minute, but the ball went went wide left.

A corner in the 20th minute gave the Silverbacks a shock as the Fury's Colin Falvey dove to head the ball just over the bar.

Atlanta received a free kick opportunity in the 29th minute following a Falvey yellow card. A little trickery occurred before Paul Black aimed his shot for the lower corner. However, Ottawa held its ground on the attempt and deflected the ball out of danger.

The first booking for the Silverbacks came to Kyle Miller as he took Brandon Poltronieri down on the far side of the field. Nicki Paterson punished the Silverbacks for the opportunity, sending his shot past Cochran for the first goal of the game in the 34th minute.

Motivated by a lackluster first half, the Silverbacks came out stronger in the second half.

Excitement struck in the 48th minute as the Silverbacks forced themselves into Ottawa's area. A frenzied attack followed and Silverbacks forward, Matt Horth, almost had his first goal of the season with a header to the far side of the net. Ottawa's defense was able to keep the ball out of the net.

Kyle Porter registered his first goal of the season in the 57th minute as Shaka Bangura slotted a pass between Ottawa's goalkeeper and defense. The Canadian international slipped in behind his defender and tapped the ball in easily.

"It was a great buildup, from the wings into the middle," Porter said. "I found a pocket of space in front of the goal and got a great pass to put away."

The 66th minute offered the debut of 2013 NASL Best XI member, Hans Denissen. He almost had an immediate impact as he was able to get the ball to Horth in the box. However, Romuald Pieser dropped quickly to stop the ball from going in the back of the net. Denissen would go on to be a menace for the rest of the game, often finding himself in dangerous places.

The Silverbacks almost snagged another goal as two crosses were sent into the box in the 80th minute. Simon Mensing and Jaime Chavez were both able to get their heads on them, but both sent them over the crossbar.

After last week's extra-time thriller, the four minutes of extra time that referee Tyler Ploeger added was enough to make fans nervous.

The Atlanta Silverbacks will travel to WakeMed Soccer Park next Saturday to take on the Carolina RailHawks for Match Day 3 of the Spring Season (7:30 p.m., ESPN3).

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



North American Soccer League Stories from April 11, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central