Super-20 League Feature
Saturday, July 20, 2013
BRADENTON, Fla. – Force Football Club rounded out the quartet of semifinalists at the Super-20 League Championship presented by Nike at IMG Academy on Saturday morning as a stoppage-time goal by goalkeeper Elliot Tarney earned a 1-1 draw with Alamo SC and a place in the knockout stages on goals scored. Force joins the Toronto Lynx Jrs., Pacesetter SC and St. Louis Scott Gallagher in the final four.
Force had the better of much of the game, but was trailing, and going out, as the game entered stoppage time. Tarney had to make a fine save to deny Alamo a second goal on a counterattack early in the additional four minutes as he denied Robert Alexe, but as the clocked ticked into the fourth minute of stoppage time, Force was awarded a free kick central to the goal, 20 yards out. While most eyes were on Patrick Smith as he lined up the kick, Tarney stepped up and curled a fine shot into the top-right corner of the net, setting off a wild celebration, and setting up a semifinal against the Toronto Lynx Jrs.
Force had opened the game brightly, possessing the ball well as they built attacks quickly. Nazeem Bartman had the first good opportunity of the game in the seventh minute as his shot from the left side was saved by Eric Beltran.
Alamo played more directly, and got its first scoring chance six minutes later as a low cross from the right was met by Vinny Guerrero at the near post, only for his finish to sail high. Force carried more of the play, however, and went close twice before the half-hour mark as Joey Tinnion turned his man well before having a good shot saved by Beltran in the 18th minute and Bartman sent a diving header from a cross from the right wide of the left post 10 minutes later.
Despite just needing a draw to advance, Force continued to push forward at the start of the second half to try and find the opening goal. It was Alamo that found the breakthrough, however, as Matt Stohlmann found the back of the net in the 57th minute. After a long free kick was blasted into the defensive wall, the ball came to Sergio Gonzalez, and the center back floated a perfect pass that found the late run of Stohlmann as he broke into the right side of the penalty area. The full back beat Tarney to the ball off a bounce, and lifted a header into the right side of the net.
The goal took some of the wind out of Force’s sails, but they regained their composure and went in pursuit of an equalizer in the final 20 minutes. Its chance appeared to have arrived with three minutes to go as a good run and low cutback from the left found Greg Timmer, only for his shot from 15 yards to go over the crossbar. Just as Force appeared to be heading out, however, Tarney’s late strike sent his side through in dramatic fashion.
Group B winner the Toronto Lynx Jrs. await Force Football Club in the semifinals, with the Lynx having already clinched a place in the semifinals thanks to victories against Potomac SC and the Laredo Heat in their opening two games. Toronto took a pair of 2-0 wins in its opening two games, and the Lynx used the opportunity to rest some of their players as they fell 2-1 to Orlando City in their final game of group play.
Group A winner Scott Gallagher and Group C winner Pacesetter SC employed a similar tactic in their final group games as they prepared for their semifinal meeting. Scott Gallagher had taken a tense 2-1 victory against IMG Academy to earn its berth in the semifinals, and was able to rest a number of key players as it fell 7-0 in its final game of group play to Beachside SC.
Pacesetter, meanwhile, had already earned victories against Texas Football Club and Ironbound SC, putting it out of reach at the end of Friday’s play. As with Scott Gallagher, Pacesetter elected to rest players, and while Ryan Peterson and Radjan Danilo scored in the opening half of its final group game against FASA for a 2-0 lead, it then took its foot off the gas and conceded five consecutive goals as the focus switched to the semifinal.