Thunder Defeats Miami 3-1 in Front of 4,147 Fans

Published on May 24, 2008 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Minnesota Thunder News Release


BLAINE, MN - The Minnesota Thunder jumped up to second place in a 3-1 win over Miami FC Saturday night. The Thunder is now tied with the Portland Timbers for second place, with a record of 4-2-1, while Miami stays at 9th place.

The Thunder scoring started early when leading scorer of the team, Melvin Tarley, finished a dangerous cross in the 7th minute. Alen Marcina crossed the ball by the goal face and Tarley was there to one time it in to put the Thunder up early. Tarley has stepped up well for the Thunder after leaving the team in 2006, earning three goals in his five games played.

The Thunder defense had another strong game tonight against Miami. A foul by Kevin Taylor prompted a free kick just a few yards away from the penalty box. The ball got out of goalkeeper Nic Platter's reach, but Jeremiah Bass was there to stop the goal. Bass kicked it out of danger, keeping the Thunder away from a very dangerous possession.

The Thunder strikers came out in full force, earning five shots in the first half, and scoring on three of those opportunities. In the 33rd minute, USL Player of the Week Ricardo Sanchez blasted a shot from 35 yards out, going just over the Miami goal.

The Thunder's second goal came in the 34th minute when Sanchez took a Thunder corner kick. Bass headed the ball in the back of the net, scoring his first goal for the Thunder this season. This goal put the Thunder up 2-0, but the defense still had to stop any Miami strikers from making progress for the remainder of the game.

In the 40th minute, the Thunder finished their scoring with Sanchez earning his second Thunder goal. Bass crossed the ball past the goal to Sanchez who hit a dangerous first touch ball into the back of the net. A 3-0 deficit early in the game had the Thunder confident about their play so far.

Miami bounced back in the 44th minute, scoring off a ball that caught the Thunder defense off guard. Miami striker Sean Cameron received a ball from Eric Vasquez, and tried to send the ball toward the Thunder goal. The ball deflected off a Thunder defender and went past Platter, making the score 3-1.

The second half didn't bring about as many opportunities for either team. Miami started pressuring the Thunder defense more, but were unable to break Platter. There were more fouls on the Thunder's end, a few outside the penalty area. The Thunder defense was able to stop many dangerous opportunities from turning into anything substantial.

"I thought the team played well, especially in the first half. I think we moved the ball really well. It's nice to be on a big field, I think that helps us a lot. In the second half, we were able to keep them from scoring and win the game so we're all very happy about it," said team captain Bass.

The Thunder goes on to face the Vancouver Whitecaps next Saturday, May 31 at the National Sports Center in Blaine. The Thunder have already played the Whitecaps this season, where they earned their first win on the road 1-0. Kickoff next Saturday is at 7:05pm.

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USL First Division Stories from May 24, 2008


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