Saturday, July 13, 2013
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- A late counter-attack goal was the difference on City Island on Saturday night as the Richmond Kickers downed the Harrisburg City Islanders 1-0 in a pivotal match-up of two of USL PRO's top teams. Michael Seaton scored the only goal of the game, his fifth of the season, as the Kickers extended their undefeated streak to 17 games and moved to the top of the USL PRO standings.
Physical play dominated most of the game and the series of events that led up to the goal were no different. It was a battle for a ball on the sideline that left the Islanders on their heels and out-manned with the Kickers charging down the field with Stanley Nyazamba and Seaton. Noble came out to cut off the angle but Nyazamba made a simple pass to his left and had Seaton alone with an empty net for a simple finish.
The Islanders were not going to give up a loss at home that easily, and came close to finding an equalizer in one of the last plays of the match. Jimmy McLaughlin swung the ball into the penalty area and found leading scorer Sainey Touray, who finished from close range, but the assistant referee's flag was raised for offside, ruling out the goal and allowing the Kickers to hold on for victory.
The first 15 minutes of the game proved uneventful with both teams feeling each other out. The play was physical and sloppy at times and both teams could not get into a groove until a hard shot from Harrisburg's Matt Bahner skimmed off the crossbar.
Following the Bahner shot play opened up and the Islanders had quality chances to break through and earn the important first goal. Touray had two chances to put the Islanders ahead, with the first coming when he drove into the penalty area, only to send his shot off the outside of the side-netting.
The second half started with a few chances for both teams but none of great quality. One of the best chances of the half was a rising shot by Islander Tom Mellor that looked destined for the back of the net, until Richmond's Andrew Dykstra, one of the league’s top goalkeepers, got his fingers to it and tipped it over the net.
With good chances seeming to be a premium on this muggy night on the Island, a sequence of the Mellor shot and a Touray shot seemed, at the time to be the pivotal point in the match.
Along with the huge match, the Islanders also had to momentous occasions tonight at Skyline Sports Complex. They retired the No. 3 jersey worn by Dustin Bixler in his seven-year career as an Islander. The other occasion of the night was the announcing of the All-Decade team. Most of the eleven players announced, and some who earned honorable mention were on the field during halftime to be honored.
The Harrisburg City Islanders will play back at Skyline Sports Complex on July 24 at 7 p.m. when they take on the Dayton Dutch Lions. For information about the City Islanders visit www.cityislanders.com or call (717)-441-GOAL.