Wizards Win Thriller Over Galaxy 2-1 in Overtime
Published on October 11, 2003 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
KANSAS CITY, MO (Saturday, October 11, 2003) - The Kansas City Wizards won a dramatic overtime thriller 2-1 over the Los Angeles Galaxy at Arrowhead Stadium Saturday night. Forward Igor Simutenkov slotted a ball into an empty net from close range to give the Wizards their third straight win, their longest winning streak of the season, and clinch at least third place in the Western Conference standing.
The golden goal came in the closing moments of the first overtime period, as the Wizards took a restart from near the penalty arc. Midfielder Chris Klein made a dummy run over the ball, maneuvering into position to pick the up Preki's pass. Klein lashed a low, hard shot through traffic, cleanly beating goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, only to see his shot ring off the base of the far post and carom back out into play.
Klein collected his own rebound and, left unattended behind the Galaxy defenders, played a square ball across the mouth of the goal for Igor Simutenkov, who easily tapped it into the gaping net.
The play was initially ruled offside, but both Klein and Simutenkov were well behind the last Galaxy defenders. However, a consultation with the Assistant Referees, referee Kevin Stott overturned the call and awarded the golden goal to the Wizards. It was determined that since Klein had played the ball laterally and since Simutenkov was behind the ball when the pass was made, there was no offside infraction.
The game-winning goal guarantees the Wizards the second or third position in the Western Conference when they advance into the MLS Cup Playoffs. Los Angeles can finish no higher than fourth, setting up a Los Angeles-San Jose pairing for the opening round of the postseason.
The Wizards notched the only goal of the first half, as Kerry Zavagnin's defensive pressure resulted in a valuable turnover on the edge of the Galaxy penalty area in the 13th minute. Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman rolled the ball out to midfielder Pete Vagenas as the Galaxy started to build out of the back, but Zavagnin swooped in and robbed him of possession. Alone with the ball on the edge of the box, Zavagnin took one more touch and unleashed a shot on net. The ball took a minor deflection off of the legs of Galaxy defender Alexi Lalas, who had tracked back in an attempt to break up the play. The deflection nudged the ball out of the reach of Hartman, and Zavagnin's shot found the netting inside the far post for the 1-0 lead.
Wolde Harris forced a tough save out of Hartman in the 24th minute, taking a dangerous touch on a ball that bounced through the penalty area and across the mouth of the goal. Hartman was able to quickly change directions, however, and leap back towards the far post to touch the attempt away. The Galaxy equalized on the strength of a Carlos Ruiz penalty kick in the 67th minute. Midfielder Guillermo "Memo" Gonzalez, making his first MLS start in place of Mauricio Cienfuegos, slipped a ball into the top of the penalty area for Ruiz. The Guatemalan striker turned defender Diego Gutierrez with an artful touch of the ball, only to be brought down from behind as Gutierrez attempted to recover. On the ensuing penalty kick, Ruiz forced goalkeeper Tony Meola to commit with a slow, leisurely approach to the ball before slotting it to the lower left corner.
The goal, Ruiz's 15th, ties him with New England's Taylor Twellman for the League lead in goals scored this year. With Twellman out for the season with a stress fracture in his foot, Ruiz is in position to become the only player in MLS history to lead the League outright in goals scored in two consecutive seasons.
Despite the loss, Hartman posted an impressive performance in net, being called upon several times to turn away dangerous chances by the Wizards. In the 71st minute of play, Hartman needed his full extension to make a diving save on a Klein attempt, and he was forced to concede a corner four minutes later by pushing a rising Eric Quill shot over the crossbar.
The Wizards will look to extend their streak next weekend when they host the Dallas Burn in the final regular season match at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, October 18th. Saturday will be Fan Appreciation Night and all fans will receive a Wizards team poster courtesy of Papa John's. The match will be followed by a postgame fireworks display over Arrowhead and a Wizards team autograph session in the Pavilion. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster by calling 816-931-3330 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
Major League Soccer Stories from October 11, 2003
- Wizards Win Thriller Over Galaxy 2-1 in Overtime - Sporting Kansas City
- Wizards Outlast Galaxy in OT, 2-1 - MLS
- Burn, MetroStars Tie - MLS
- MLS Weekend Recap - MLS
- Revolution Clinches Playoff Berth with 1-0 Win over D.C. United in Overtime - New England Revolution
- Revs Win on Ralston's PK in OT - MLS
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