Silverbacks Winning Streak Extends To 11 Matches As NY Cosmos Gain First Victory Of Fall Season
Soccer News: Rafael Alves scored on a header deep into second half stoppage time on Sunday to give first-place Ottawa Fury FC a 1-0 victory over FC Edmonton and extend their unbeaten streak to 11 games.
Ottawa goalkeeper Romuald Peiser recorded his eight shutout of the year and seventh within the club’s current unbeaten streak. The match, which was played at SMS Equipment Stadium in Fort McMurray, Alberta, looked destined for a scoreless draw before Alves helped Fury FC gather three more points and increase their lead atop the league’s Fall Season Standings to six points over the equally surprising Atlanta Silverbacks.
In Sunday afternoon’s other game, the New York Cosmos — who were unbeaten while winning the Spring Season title — needed four games to win their first game of the Fall Season. Hunter Freeman and Leo Fernandes scored in their side’s 2-0 win over the visiting Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
In games on Saturday, the Atlanta Silverbacks won their second consecutive road tilt, defeating Indy Eleven, 1-0, on a goal by former Indy forward Pedro Mendes, while the Tampa Bay Rowdies broke a three-game losing streak by taking a point in a 1-1 draw with the Carolina RailHawks. On Friday, visiting Minnesota United FC scored a pair of late goals to erase Jacksonville Armada FC‘s two-goal lead in an entertaining 3-3 draw.
Ottawa Fury FC 1, FC Edmonton 0
First-place Ottawa (4-1-0, 13 points) appeared to be headed for its sixth scoreless draw of the year before central defender Rafael Alves headed a corner kick from Sinisa Ubiparpovic past FC Edmonton (2-2-1, 8 points) goalkeeper Matt VanOekel. Van Oekel made three saves in the game, including a 77th-minute stop from point-blank range on a shot from Aly Hassan. The game marked the NASL debut of Dustin Corea, the Salvadoran international signed by the club after the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Corea left the match in the 69th minute for the Canadian youth international Hanson Boakai. Fury FC has only conceded five goals over the course of its 11-game unbeaten streak, posting yet another shutout on Sunday.
New York Cosmos 2, Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0
The Cosmos (1-2-1, 5 points) took a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute when Hunter Freeman hit a gentle cross that caught Strikers goalkeeper Josh Ford scrambling and out of position. The ball dropped inside the far post. Leo Fernandes scored his fourth goal of the year minutes before halftime, taking a precision pass from Raúl and tucking a left-footed shot past Ford’s outstretched left arm. From last place in the 11-team Fall Season Standings, the win moved the Cosmos up to fifth and was the team’s 14th straight at home without a loss. The loss ended the Strikers’ unbeaten run under Coach Günter Kronsteiner to start the Fall Season.
Atlanta Silverbacks 1, Indy Eleven 0
Atlanta was back on the road on Saturday night after last week’s two-game sojourn through Canada and the Silverbacks won for the second straight game (and have only lost once in five matches). Pedro Mendes, a former striker for Indy Eleven, scored the game’s only goal in front of 9,632 at Michael A. Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis. Mendes converted a pass from Jaime Chavez and slotted his shot past goalkeeper Kristian Nicht in the 15th minute. The victory moved the Silverbacks, who finished in last place in the Spring Season, into second place in the Fall Season standings, six points behind red-hot Ottawa.
Carolina RailHawks 1, Tampa Bay Rowdies 1
Hobbled by a three-game losing streak (two losses at home) and facing an in-form Carolina team in front of 6,191 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC, Tampa Bay scored first and came away with a point on the road on Saturday night. The Rowdies, who opened the Fall Season with a win before the streak caused them to relinquish first place in the Combined Standings, broke on top in the 29th minute. Darnell King ran down a through ball on the right side and centered to Georgi Hristov, whose one-time shot whizzed past goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald. During a scramble in the front of the Rowdies goal three minutes later, Mark Anderson spun around and struck a left-footed shot into the net to tie the score.
Jacksonville Armada FC 3, Minnesota United FC 3
With a 3-1 lead late in the game on Friday night, the Armada FC appeared to be sailing toward their second victory of the Fall Season. Alhassane Keita had just scored to give Jacksonville a two-goal cushion, but then Justin Davis of Minnesota cut the Loons’ deficit in half, and Ibson followed it up by levelling the score one minute later before 6,847 at Community First Park. Back in the early going, United’s Christian Ramirez scored on a header, extending his scoring streak to four games, while for Jacksonville, rookie Akeil Barrett tallied his first professional goal.
