Away Weekend Update: 5-30 & 5-31
PDL
Atlanta Silverbacks News Release – www.atlantasilverbacks.com
Friday, May 30, 2008
ATLANTA, GA — The Atlanta Silverbacks Under-23s picked up its fourth straight win, topping the Carolina Dynamo 1-0 at Atlanta Silverbacks Park. Jordan Davis tallied for the Silverbacks in the second minute. Silverbacks goalkeeper Patrick Mitrovich preserved the side’s fourth consecutive clean sheet saving a second half penalty kick.
“I’m pleased with the win, but I don’t like the fact that we were one kick away from not winning,” said head coach Steve Muccillo. “Mitrocivh came up with a gigantic save that kept them off the score board, and that was enough. We’ll take it.”
The Silverbacks wasted not time putting a tally on the score sheet when Davis finished a lovely ball at the far post from Kenny Dix in the second minute of play.
After the early goal, both teams fought for control of the match–which neither team could claim. Mitrovich, making his first start in three games, and his counterpart Aaron Johnson were both busy, though not terribly taxed in the first half.
Carolina’s best chance in the first half came in the 31st minute when Mitrovich misplayed a ball with his feet but redeemed himself, saving the ball bravely at the feet of Miguel De Silva.
The Silverbacks were unlucky not to double its lead in the 54th minute when Pascal Millien just missed wide on the far post off a perfectly weighted ball from Chad Burt.
Millien’s speed on the right flank found him in behind the Carolina back line. The acute angle at which he had on goal forced him to hold the ball up and wait for help. Milien found a trailing Kenny Dix, but his shot was blocked.
Mitrovich put his mark on the match in the 64th minute, saving a Jokull Elisabertson penalty kick. The spot kick resulted after the Silverbacks’ Joe Devito went into a tackle on the edge of the penalty area with a little too much enthusiasm. Elisabertson pushed the kick to his left as Mitrovich went the same way, batting the ball away for a corner kick.
In the 81st minute Millien had another opportunity on a solo run from midfield, but could not get past the charging Johnson.
The win moves the Silverbacks to 4-1-1 on the season, and keeps the side in playoff contention.
W-LEAGUE
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Virginia Beach, Virginia – Mercy Akide Udoh doesn’t need any reason to reassert herself as the Hampton Roads Piranhas’ most decorated players.
The former Nigerian National Team member and FIFA World All-Star opted to do so anyway, logging her second and third goals of the season in the first half. She provided the Piranhas with an insurmountable advantage: a 4-1 victory over the Carolina Dynamo in Saturday night’s USL W-League match at Virginia Wesleyan College.
Hampton Roads (1-3-0) earned its first win of 2008, and looked determined to set the pace even from the opening whistle when Akide Udoh made a run up the left side of the field before halted by Dynamo defenders.
Three minutes later, midfielder Kelly Lawrence nearly found the scoresheet when her free kick from 23 yards banged off the crossbar with Chichi Nweke’s follow up missing high and wide.
Hampton Roads, determined to take the early lead, would do so in the ninth minute with Akide Udoh’s dribbling goal off a Dynamo deflection in the box after a broken corner played in by Kim Francis.
Joy Nsubuga nearly made the Piranhas edge two goals in the 17th minute with a nifty touch between her legs to break free from the marking defender before curling a ball too far to the right. Florence Omagbemi Onuja also misfired on the fish’s second corner of the match a minute later, heading the ball wide.
Carolina’s first legitimate scoring drive came in the 29th minute. Midfielder Hailey Beam broke free up the right side and made a direct line toward the near post but her crossing attempt toward the left side was deflected out of play by Piranha defenders.
Akide Udoh would strike again for the red-and-white eight minutes later, timing her run to parallel the defense as player-coach Wendy Kotwas Waddell played a ball to the right touchline. After juking Cam Dillon to her right, Akide Udoh slid the ball into the left side of the net to double the Piranhas margin heading to the break.
After being out-shot 9-1 in the opening stanza, Carolina (0-4-1) appeared determined to cut into their deficit in the second half.
Reserve forward Carey Goodman almost got it started for the Dynamo in the 47th minute when she received a ball served in from the right side of the midfield, turned, and had her eight-yard blast diverted wide by Piranhas goalkeeper Lauren Hollandsworth.
The Dynamo nearly reached the board with a couple possessions in the 54th and 55th minutes. Forward Taylor Rovito footed a left side corner just short of the near post, then Goodman, while accepting a long ball from midfield, was flagged in an offside position.
Goodman continued to hammer the Piranha defense again in the 57th, heading a left side cross from Ashley Church wide right while pressured by Omagbemi Onuja inside the penalty spot.
Nweke countered a minute later seemingly by accident. On a right side service, the ball fell at her feet off a Dynamo deflection and back toward the net. Goalkeeper Lauren Brown was there to collect the attempted shot.
The Piranhas continued coming back on the offensive in the 62nd minute when Lawrence drove a right footed free kick toward the left side of the net. It forced Brown to dive to her right and collect the well-struck ball.
Goodman and Carolina were determined, though, to make things interesting and did so in the 64th minute. Allie Sadow’s shot through traffic was bumped back into play by Hollandsworth, putting Goodman in position to clean up the rebound for her first goal of the season.
The Piranhas answered with authority with two goals in a six minute span. The first came in the 69th minute by Nsubuga off some efficient passing in the right side of the attacking third, the last pass off the foot of Lawrence. Then in the 75th, Kotwas Waddell’s corner kick found the head of Cobb in the center of the box who directed home the goal, the first for both Piranhas this season.
Goodman nearly connected again for Carolina in the 83rd minute on a standing bicycle kick from the middle of the box off a left side cross. The ball went over traffic and looked to dip in before reserve keeper Victoria Johnson ascended to collect the shot.
Johnson was also forced to bump a pair of Dynamo corner kicks wide over the final stages of Saturday’s match, avoiding any further goal allowances.
Hampton Roads held a 15-10 shot advantage with Hollandsworth earning four saves and Johnson with one in the victory. Brown recorded three saves for Carolina.
Next up for the W-League Piranhas is a doubleheader with the PDL side as they travel up to face the Richmond Kickers Destiny and Future in matches two and three of the 2008 James River Cup. The PDL match between the two clubs begins at 4pm and the W-League match follows at 7pm, both at Sports Backers Stadium.
