Orlando City News Release -- www.orlandocitysoccer.com
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
WINTER PARK, Fla. - Orlando City continued its winning ways on Wednesday night as the Lions defeated Rollins College 1-0 in front of a capacity crowd at Barker Family Stadium on the Rollins campus. Tars alum Justin Clark scored the game’s only goal off a John Rooney free kick.
“It was good to come back here and score,” said Clark. “I trained with Rollins yesterday and knew this match would be fun. It’s always good to get a win.”
Clark’s goal was set up by fellow Rollins alum Nick Sowers. Sowers was taken down by a Rollins defender just outside the corner of the penalty area, giving the Lions a free kick in prime scoring territory. Rooney lobbed his shot over the Rollins wall, finding Clark in space for the flicked header.
Orlando had several scoring chances in the first half, but saw their shots fly wide left, wide right, and over the crossbar. The second half proved more of the same. The best chance of the night came from Sowers. Working a give-and-go with Dennis Chin, Sowers clanged a shot of the crossbar.
Jamie Watson made his first appearance of the preseason, coming on for Rooney in the 61st minute. Watson was nursing a knee injury for much of the preseason and was excited to see his first playing time in 2012.
“It felt good to go out and play,” Watson said. “I think anytime I can go out and contribute it’s a productive night.”
For City, the night was about experimenting with the line-up and getting minutes for trialists. Both Sowers and Clark played in front of Rollins fans for the final time, each having given four seasons to the Tars. New trialists Leaughn Williams and Fabrizio Pittaluga also saw minutes, having joined the team at Wednesday’s training session.
“Overall, it was a good night,” said Orlando City Head Coach Adrian Heath. “We came out of the match unscathed, which is always a good sign. There were a few standout performances and a few [players] that need to step up their game as the regular season draws closer. We’ll continue to improve as we move on through March.”
Orlando continues its series of college friendlies, with the Lions next match coming this Saturday against Stetson University at the Seminole Soccer Complex in Sanford. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. Admission to the game is free. For more information, visit www.orlandocitysoccer.com.