Strikers Resume Rivalry with Last Minute Goal
Published on June 29, 2011 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers News Release
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (JUNE 29, 2011) - The first match-up in 18 years between the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and FC Tampa Bay finished 1 - 1 in a game that came down to the final minutes. A goal from Eduardo Coudet in stoppage time equalized for the Strikers while a crowd of 5,848 celebrated in wet conditions. The tie extends the Strikers unbeaten streak to seven games.
"We were just missing the final pass on a couple of chances," said head coach Daryl Shore. "We were the aggressor tonight and it's frustrating. Soccer is funny because you can have a team on their heels and one chance, and you go down 1 - 0."
The first half saw the Strikers attack and press forward numerous times. Unfortunately, they were unable to come away with any goals. Starting as early as the 6th minute, the Strikers were taking shots to test the NASL's saves leader, Tampa Bay goalkeeper Jeff Attinella. Paulinho Le Petit was in on the action many times during the game. After receiving a ball from midfielder Lennon Celestino, Le Petit took a couple touches to fire the ball on goal, but it sailed just wide.
Chances were in abundance tonight in the FC Tampa Bay six-yard-box. Midfielder Brian Shriver took a defender one-on-one and shot on goal, but it was deflected. The rebound fell to Martin Nunez, who scrambled to put it home. Defender Andres Arango was in the empty net and managed to clear it away.
The Strikers earned more corner kicks than FC Tampa, nine to three respectively. On one of those corners Le Petit swung it high for one of his forwards to head home. It was defender Cristian Arrieta who rose above them all to head it on goal. If it were not for another Arango clearance, Arrieta would have had his second goal of the season.
FC Tampa Bay had a chance in the 37th minute with a counter attack from a Strikers attack. Winger Pascal Millien ran down the left side of the field, moving deep into the Strikers defense. With midfielder Keith Savage sitting alone atop the 18-yard-box, Millien fed him a pass. Savage tried a one-time shot on goal, but it sailed above the crossbar.
Right before the end of the half, Tampa Bay had a scoring chance with a corner. Millien sent his cross long, finding forward Warren Ukah unmarked. Ukah's header was from point blank range, sure to go in. Strikers' goalkeeper Matt Glaeser showed why he's the NASL leader in goals against average with a punching save, ensuring the match would go into the half 0 - 0.
The second half saw both teams pressing to earn those precious three points. In the 51st minute, the Strikers picked up where they left off in the first half when Le Petit took a shot targeted for the far post. His chance went just wide, tailing left.
The drama of the game continued in the 63rd minute when five Strikers were in the 18-yard-box. Eduardo Coudet tried chipping goalkeeper Attinella, but it rattled the crossbar and bounced out. Celestino was there to pick up the rebound and pass it to forward Abe Thompson. He tried a left footed shot on goal, but was again denied by the Tampa Bay defenders.
The first goal came in the 68th minute for FC Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay had numbers on a counter attack following a Strikers corner. Midfielder Tsuyoshi Yoshitake found forward Mike Ambersley, who beat the Strikers' offside trap, alone against Glaeser. A simple chip found the back of the net for Ambersley, who sits alone in third place in NASL scoring with six goals.
To cap the drama, a Tampa handball just outside the 18-yard-box gave the Strikers a chance to equalize just before the end of the match. Coudet proved yet again why he is the Strikers' dead ball specialist. In stoppage time, he hit a curling free kick into the near post to level the game with very little time to go.
The last chance of the game fell to young forward David Santamaria. A deflected shot from Arrieta caused the ball to hang in there air. Santamaria jumped up, leveled his body, and attempted a bicycle kick on goal. The stunning chance was saved by Attinella and cleared out, leaving the Strikers fans gasping for the winning goal.
"That's what Fort Lauderdale and Tampa is about. It's great for the fans," said Shore. "I don't think any of the games are going to be lob-sided; they're going to be both teams going at each other. I feel like this game was wide open on both ends and it is great to have a rivalry like this."
This draw extends the Strikers' unbeaten streak to seven games and improves their record to 3-8-2 with 17 points in the NASL Standings. FC Tampa Bay moves to 3-5-5 with 14 points.
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers next game is against in-state rivals FC Tampa Bay Monday, July 4, at 6:00p.m.
North American Soccer League Stories from June 29, 2011
- Puerto Rico and Impact Play to Scoreless Draw - Montreal Impact
- Strikers Resume Rivalry with Last Minute Goal - Fort Lauderdale Strikers
- Striker Eduardo Sebrango Returns - Montreal Impact
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