May 30 – Double Header Update
Saturday, May 30th, 2009Pictures by AltaSky
Story thank you The News & Record
Dynamo comes up short against one-man show
GREENSBORO – Only one man found the back of the net for Hampton Roads during its Saturday night match against the Carolina Dynamo.
The problem for Carolina was he did it three times.
Piranha forward Kevon Harris turned the match at Macpherson Stadium into a personal showcase, and his hat trick gave his team a 3-2 win while the Dynamo’s winless streak grew to four.
“This is the second game we lost a lead &ellipses; and we’ve gotta learn how to close games out,” coach Joe Brown said, referencing last Saturday’s 1-1 draw against West Virginia.
It was apparent early that the game would be open. For the Dynamo, that meant a lot room down the left side of the field — specifically with midfielder Scott Rojo. But those opportunities didn’t yield anything until the game’s 23rd minute.
A Carolina corner was deflected out past the top left side of the box to Rojo, who swung in a cross that found an unmarked Cody Arnoux standing near the goal. With plenty of time to pick his spot, the Wake Forest striker nodded it in.
Arnoux, playing his second game of the season after taking a break to go home, constantly gave the Dynamo a threat with flair up front thanks to his touch passing and individual runs. He said he was fatigued after playing 90 minutes, although he was certainly productive.
“(Arnoux) holds the ball, and when Cody gets his chances he’s a finisher,” Brown said.
“And so the thing is, we didn’t get enough service to him. We put Sheanon Williams in, we didn’t get enough service to him. So we’ve gotta get better at recognizing the game.”
But that early goal wasn’t enough to overshadow the show put on by Harris, a Jamaican who played at Old Dominion (2001-04).
First, he equalized the game in the 31st minute with a 25-yard free kick that beat both the wall and Carolina keeper Clint Irwin as it sailed into the bottom right part of the net.
In the 39th minute, he used a give-and-go to pound home his second goal and give Hampton Roads a 2-1 halftime lead.
While not too flashy or speedy outside of Harris, Hampton Roads spread the field and made the easy pass into space for opportunities that often included the Jamaican.
And sure enough, in the 62nd minute Harris latched onto a ball down the right, juked inside and scored again.
Brown inserted Williams to start the second half, but Carolina didn’t get on track for the first part of the period.
“We kind of abused them a little bit on the left side in the first half, and I think in the second half they had a little talk at halftime and kind of made some adjustments,” Arnoux said.
Still, the deficit was cut to one in the 79th minute by the Dynamo. And a foul that produced a mini-altercation between the two teams gave Carolina a free kick in extra-time, but a shot on goal was deflected as the Dynamo failed to get back on the winning track.
“We’re still in a process with 26 players trying to figure out what we’re doing,” said Brown, who emphasized his team’s poor defense.
“And players will earn their minutes, and also their minutes will shrink. Their stock will go up and their stock will go down.”
Contact Jesse Baumgartner at 373-7091 or jesse.baumgartner @news-record.com
Hampton Roads 2 1 – 3
Carolina 1 1 – 2
Goals: Carolina — Cody Arnoux 1; Brian Harrison 1; Hampton Roads — Kevon Harris 3. Assists: Carolina — Scott Rojo 1, Sheanon Williams 1; Hampton Roads — Roberto Sgueglia 1. Corners: Carolina 10, Hampton Roads 4. Saves: Carolina 4, Hampton Roads 1. Shots: Carolina 11, Hampton Roads 11.
