Syracuse Faces Harrisburg for Second Straight Match
December 29, 2017 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Syracuse Silver Knights News Release
The Eastern Division Rivals battle once again at the OnCenter War Memorial Arena
The Syracuse Silver Knights (3-4) return to the OnCenter War Memorial Arena to play the Harrisburg Heat (4-6) on Friday, December 29th at 7:05 p.m. The Silver Knights return to action after a two-week break.
The last Syracuse match was on December 15th against Harrisburg. The Silver Knights won that match 8-5. The victory was the first game that Syracuse has won this season by more than one goal.
Harrisburg played last Saturday against the Florida Tropics. The Heat came short in a comeback attempt against the Tropics, losing 7-5.
Here are five things to watch in the upcoming Syracuse-Harrisburg match:
1. Home Sweet Home?
Syracuse has three wins on the season. Surprisingly, all three victories have come away from the OnCenter War Memorial Arena. That matches the amount of wins the Silver Knights had on the road last season. Syracuse has played more games on the road so far this season. Friday's match against is only the third match the Silver Knights play in Central New York.
2. Hat Trick for Tavernese
The last game for the Silver Knights ended in an 8-5 victory over the Harrisburg Heat. Tavernese scored the last three goals for Syracuse en route to his first hat trick of the season. The forward's performance earned him MASL Team of the Week honors in Week Eight. Tavernese is the third Silver Knight this season to be named to the MASL Team of the Week. Slavisa Ubiparipovic and Kenardo Forbes are the other two Silver Knights.
3. Scoring from the Back
Defenders for both clubs could find themselves on the scoresheet. Darren Toby, Jake Schindler, and Domenico Vitale have scored a combined five goals over the last three Silver Knights games. Meanwhile, Heat defender Lucio Gonzaga has five goals alone in his last three games. He is now the top goal scorer for Harrisburg so far this season.
4. Power Plays May Not Work
Harrisburg is very adept at defending the power play. The Heat have only allowed two power play goals the entire season - tied for the third lowest mark in the MASL this season. Harrisburg's penalty kill percentage is 85.7% this season. On the other side of the ball, Syracuse has struggled on power plays this season. The Silver Knights have only scored three power play goals - tied for the second lowest mark in the MASL
5. A League Leader
Thiago Freitas has been excellent all season in picking out his Harrisburg teammates for goals. The midfielder has 16 assists in the campaign so far. That total leads the entire MASL. Freitas also converted the winning penalty in the Heat's shootout victory over Baltimore. Freitas is always dangerous on the ball.
Fans who cannot make it to the OnCenter War Memorial can view the match on MASL.tv. Tickets can still be purchased by calling 315-303-7261 or by logging on to syracusesilverknights.com.
Major Arena Soccer League Stories from December 29, 2017
- Blast Game Preview - Baltimore Blast
- Barracudas fall in Division Game - Brownsville Barracudas
- Syracuse Faces Harrisburg for Second Straight Match - Syracuse Silver Knights
- Barracudas to host Flash in Division Match-Up - Brownsville Barracudas
- Ambush Host Florida on New Year's Eve - St. Louis Ambush
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