Tuesday, March 12, 2012
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — After a slow start to Tuesday evening’s Premier Development League game, the Fredericksburg Hotspur defeated the West Virginia Chaos 3-0 at the University of Mary Washington's Battleground Stadium. Don Smart, Nate Shiffman and Dylan Bowman each scored, while Ryan Taylor recorded his second shutout of the season.
The first half of action featured tough, hard play by both teams. Each team took their shots down field on breakaways, corner kicks and free kicks, but flawless play by Taylor cemented a tough, but well-earned victory over the Charleston, W.Va.-based visitors.
“I think as a team it took a while for us to get going,” Taylor said. “But it's a credit to us as a team, but also the coaches [Travis Mulraine and Keith Marine] to get us ready under the tough circumstances.”
The Hotspur were without head coach Grover Gibson as he was serving a suspension for an ejection in Saturday's draw with the Carolina Dynamo.
The Hotspur opened the scoring when Smart converted a penalty kick in the 45th minute, giving the Hotspur a 1-0 lead heading into the break. Smart earned the penalty kick when Chaos goalie Tom Rusling took him down in a one-on-one situation in the West Virginia penalty area. So far in 2012, the Kingston, Jamaica, native has played in six games and has an amassed seven goals, putting him in a three-way tie for second in the PDL.
Missing last Saturday’s Carolina game because of a prior commitment, Smart pushed his physical limits in Tuesday's match.
“I started slow, and I eventually picked it up as I kept my head up and I kept working hard,” Smart said.
Smart's hard working style resulted in a sprained ankle, but the forward believes he'll be ready for Saturday's game at Virginia Beach.
In the second half, Fredericksburg picked up its play and tacked on two more goals to seal a victory for acting head coach Mulraine. In the 79th minute, Shiffman scored his second goal of the season — both coming in the last two games — after he took a feed from midfielder Todd Wharton at the top of the arc outside the penalty area.
Five minutes later, the Hotspur scored their final goal of the evening as Bowman scored his first goal of the season off an assist from forward Ryan Sappington. The Midlothian, Va., native saw his first action of the season, playing 14 minutes and registering two shots.
Fredericksburg improved its record to 5-0-2 in the South Atlantic Division, and also improved its home record to 2-0-2. The Hotspur have taken a four-point lead in the division over both Carolina and Nashville, who sit tied for second with 13 points.
Fredericksburg travels to take on the Virginia Beach Piranhas on Saturday evening, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex. The Hotspur and Piranhas played to a 2-2 draw at UMW in their first meeting on May 19.