Syracuse Defeats Florida 9-5 at Home
January 29, 2018 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Syracuse Silver Knights News Release
Syracuse, N.Y. - Bo Jelovac and Liam Callahan each score twice to help the Syracuse Silver Knights (8-6) cruise to a 9-5 home victory against the Florida Tropics (8-7).
Darren Toby started the scoring quickly for Syracuse, but just 12 seconds later, the Tropics responded with an equalizer. Mauricio Salles netted one through the upper right-hand corner of the net to tie the game at one goal apiece.
And the pace of play did not slow down. Midway through the opening quarter, Patrick Thompson dished it off to Joey Tavernese in front of the cage for a one-timer score that put the Silver Knights up 2-1. But the question-answer style of play continued. Ricardo Diegues found the back of the net to knot it up at two with just over 5 minutes left in the first quarter.
And with every action having an equal and opposite reaction, Liam Callahan promptly responded with a goal just two minutes later to put Syracuse back on top 3-2 to end the first 15 minutes of play.
Entering second quarter, both teams began sputtering on offense. After a sauntering eleven minutes without a goal, Jake Schindler put it in to extend the Syracuse lead 4-2. Shortly after, Liam Callahan tacked on some insurance to give the Silver Knights a 5-2 lead heading into the locker room.
Following the break, the Tropics were determined to keep the Syracuse offense in check. Neither team scored for the first eight minutes, but Bo Jelovac sent one home from the right corner to extend the Syracuse lead to four.
With momentum entirely in Syracuse's favor, the Tropics got one back against the run of play as Raphael Schlemper scored the first Florida goal in 26 minutes.
It was a 6-3 Syracuse advantage heading into the final period and despite the previous goal, the momentum pendulum had swung in the direction of Syracuse. Bo Jelovac found space behind the Florida defense to put the Silver Knights back up by four.
After two late goals by Parreiras and Diegues, respectively, cut it to two, the Tropics added a sixth defender. That strategy proved to backfire with both Slavisa Ubiparipovic and Nate Bourdeau taking advantage of the empty net to put the icing on the cake for the Silver Knights victory.
Tavenese led the way for Syracuse with a goal and two assists. Jelovac and Callahan recorded their first multi-goal games of the season with two each. The midfield trio of Callahan, Bourdeau, and Thompson did well in the absence of Kenardo Forbes, who was suspended for this match. The three Syracuse midfielders combined for three goals and two assists.
Andrew Coughlin made 10 saves on the day to record his tenth game of the season with double-digit saves. The defense in front of Coughlin played a huge role as well. Toby blocked three shots and Domenico Vitale blocked two shots to help ease the workload of the Syracuse keeper.
The next Syracuse match is against the Cedar Rapids Rampage on Friday, February 2nd, at the Oncenter War Memorial Arena. Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m.
Major Arena Soccer League Stories from January 29, 2018
- Match Report - MONTERREY MAKES A STATEMENT IN 6-3 WIN OVER SAN DIEGO - San Diego Sockers
- Syracuse Defeats Florida 9-5 at Home - Syracuse Silver Knights
- Ambush Midfielder Matheus out with Torn ACL - St. Louis Ambush
- MKE WAVE DEFEAT AMBUSH IN FINAL REGULAR SEASON MEETING; BECOME MASL CENTRAL DIVISION CHAMPIONS - Milwaukee Wave
- Ambush Lose 7-5 in Milwaukee - St. Louis Ambush
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