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USL United Soccer League Championship

USL Week 9: Arizona Bounces Back, Harrisburg Rolls On

May 18, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release


TAMPA, Fla. - The ninth week of the USL season brought to an end a pair of streaks in the Western Conference, and the continuation of a pair in the Eastern Conference as the standings continued to fluctuate with the season one-third complete. With nine points separating the top nine teams in the Western Conference, the league continues to produce surprises in the race for the postseason.

FEATURED GAMES

Seattle Sounders FC 2 3, OKC Energy FC 1

S2 continued its remarkable run of home form as it made it five wins out of five at Starfire Stadium behind a pair of goals by Andy Craven on Friday night. The former Hermann Trophy finalist helped Seattle bounce back after Energy FC had taken the lead early in the second on a good finish by Sebastian Dalgaard, as Craven headed home an equalizer in the 55th minute. S2 then grabbed control with two goals in two minutes, as Oalax Anderson scored his first as a professional with a fine solo effort, and Craven struck from 20 yards to seal the victory for the hosts.

Harrisburg City Islanders 2, Charlotte Independence 0

The City Islanders ran their undefeated streak to five games as goals by Cardel Benbow and Ken Tribbett earned victory against the Independence on Saturday night. Benbow opened the scoring in the 11th minute as he used his speed to attack the Charlotte defense, and fired a low shot from the left side of the area that tucked inside the near post. Tribbett scored his third goal of the season 10 minutes before the break as he rose to head home a corner by Jason Plumhoff. Charlotte pressed to get back into the game, but Harrisburg was solid defensively as it took its fourth win in its past five contests.

Wilmington Hammerheads FC 1, Rochester Rhinos 1

The Rhinos remained the last undefeated side in the USL, but missed out on picking up all three points on the road as a stoppage-time equalizer by Ashani Fairclough earned the Hammerheads a point at Legion Stadium. Both goals arrived in the dying moments, as Rochester appeared to have grabbed victory on another late finish by Steevan dos Santos. The 89th-minute goal was set to continue Wilmington's four-game losing streak, but the Hammerheads found an equalizer moments later as a half-cleared corner was sent back wide to Tom Parratt, and his curling delivery was flicked on by Fairclough into the right corner of the net to secure his side a point.

Arizona United SC 3, Austin Aztex 2

Arizona hadn't won in more than a month entering Saturday's contest, and it appeared that streak would continue as Austin took a two-goal lead behind goals from Kris Tyrpak and Trevin Caesar inside the opening 15 minutes. United fought back, however, and got a goal from the penalty spot by Brad Stisser before the halftime break. Long Tan tied the game off a fine pass by Milton Blanco early in the second half, and the Chinese striker notched his second of the game from a second penalty kick with just more than 20 minutes to go. The win was Arizona's first at its new home of Scottsdale Stadium.

QUOTABLE

"We had to battle and fight hard. We knew they would have spouts of possession, which they did the entire half. But we battled and showed the heart and desire that we've shown in our last few games. And another clean sheet for us is a big deal." - Harrisburg City Islanders defender Dante Leverock after his side's 2-0 win against Charlotte

"It was a great ball. It was just better attack than defense at the moment. They scored a great goal, but I was happy we fought back and got another one and to be the one who scored." - Wilmington Hammerheads FC defender Ashani Fairclough on his game-tying goal against Rochester

"Coach just said we had to push. [He said] we can't lose this game, so we had to push. We had to do everything, give 100 percent. We needed these three points." - Arizona United SC forward Long Tan after his two-goal performance lifted his side to its first home win of the season

"It was disappointing. Obviously after we came back to get the lead, we had several chance to make it 3-, 4-1. If we take those chances, then the game's 4-1 and the game is over. We don't, unfortunately we allow them to come back in and score a slip for a goal, and it doesn't matter how you score as long as you score, and give them credit, they scored and they'll leave here with a point." - Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 coach Alan Koch after his side conceded in the 87th minute in a 2-2 draw with OKC Energy FC

BY THE NUMBERS

250 - Oalax Anderson's goal for Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Friday night was the 250th in the league this season. So far, the USL has averaged 2.82 goals per game in 2015.

8 - OKC Energy FC's Gareth Evans became the eighth player to reach 100 appearances in the USL on Sunday, as he joined Luke Vercollone, Tyler Rosenlund, William Yomby, Sascha Görres, George Davis IV, Paul Nicholson and Kyle Hoffer.

7 - Rodrigo Lopez's goal for Sacramento Republic FC against the LA Galaxy II on Sunday was his seventh against the club, and the fourth game-winning goal in contests between the two teams.

2 - The Rochester Rhinos (1999) and Richmond Kickers (1995) are the last two non-MLS teams to win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. All 21 U.S.-based clubs kick off in the second round of the tournament this week.

STANDINGS

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Team GP W L T GF GA Pts

Rochester Rhinos 9 6 0 3 13 4 21

Charleston Battery 9 5 1 3 17 11 18

Richmond Kickers 9 4 1 4 14 9 16

Louisville City FC 8 4 1 3 14 4 15

Harrisburg City Islanders 7 4 2 1 13 10 13

Saint Louis FC 7 3 3 1 7 7 10

New York Red Bulls II 9 2 4 3 10 13 9

Pittsburgh Riverhounds 8 2 3 3 17 14 9

Charlotte Independence 7 2 3 2 8 10 8

Toronto FC II 8 2 5 1 9 19 7

Wilmington Hammerheads FC 9 1 5 3 8 17 6

FC Montreal 6 1 5 0 3 10 3

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Team GP W L T GF GA Pts

Sacramento Republic FC 10 6 4 0 19 12 18

Seattle Sounders FC 2 9 5 3 1 20 15 16

Orange County Blues FC 8 5 3 0 14 7 15

Austin Aztex 9 4 4 1 13 13 13

LA Galaxy II 9 4 4 1 11 11 13

Arizona United SC 8 4 3 1 11 13 13

Portland Timbers 2 8 3 3 2 10 11 11

OKC Energy FC 7 2 2 3 11 12 9

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 9 3 4 0 11 12 9

Tulsa Roughnecks FC 8 2 4 2 7 13 8

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 8 1 4 3 8 14 6

Real Monarchs SLC 9 1 5 3 8 15 6

RESULTS

Tuesday, May 12

Louisville City FC 3, Wilmington Hammerheads FC 0

Wednesday, May 13

Orange County Blues FC 3, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 1

LA Galaxy II 2, Tulsa Roughnecks FC 0

Thursday, May 14

FC Montreal 1, Charleston Battery 0

Toronto FC II 2, Saint Louis FC 1

Friday, May 15

Seattle Sounders FC 2 3, OKC Energy FC 1

Saturday, May 16

Wilmington Hammerheads FC 1, Rochester Rhinos 1

Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1, Richmond Kickers 1

Harrisburg City Islanders 2, Charlotte Independence 0

Louisville City FC 4, Toronto FC II 0

Real Monarchs SLC 1, Portland Timbers 2 1

Tulsa Roughnecks FC 1, Orange County Blues FC 0

Arizona United SC 3, Austin Aztex 2

Sunday, May 17

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 2, OKC Energy FC 2

New York Red Bulls II 1, Charleston Battery 1

Sacramento Republic FC 1, LA Galaxy II 0

SCHEDULE

Friday, May 23

Portland Timbers 2 vs. Seattle Sounders FC 2, 10 p.m. ET

Saturday, May 24

Richmond Kickers vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds, 7 p.m. ET

Charleston Battery vs. Charlotte Independence, 7:30 p.m. ET

Toronto FC II vs. Rochester Rhinos, 8 p.m. ET

OKC Energy FC vs. Sacramento Republic FC, 8 p.m. ET

Austin Aztex vs. Tulsa Roughnecks FC, 9 p.m. ET

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. Arizona United SC, 9 p.m. ET

Sunday, May 25

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 vs. Real Monarchs SLC, 5 p.m. ET

New York Red Bulls II vs. FC Montreal, 8 p.m. ET

Saint Louis FC vs. Louisville City FC, 8:30 p.m. ET

HOW TO FOLLOW

Every game of the 2015 USL season can be seen live, free and in HD on YouTube (www.Youtube.com/USL), with updates from across the league also available via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 18, 2015


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