Saturday, May 21, 2011
WINTER PARK, Fla. -- In an early season matchup of unbeatens, Mississippi Brilla and the Central Florida Kraze played to a 1-1 draw at Showalter Stadium on Saturday night to keep both teams without a defeat in the 2011 USL Premier Development League season.
The Kraze came into the matchup with a 3-0-0 record after two wins over Ft. Lauderdale Schulz Academy and another over the IMG Bradenton Academics. This match was the second of a two-match road trip for Mississippi who knocked off the FC Jax Destroyers 5-0 on Thursday to improve their record to 2-0-0.
While Brilla controlled the ball for large portions of the opening half, they were unable to convert possession into goals as the Kraze used the tight confines of Showalter Field to their advantage, opting to counter-attack when they won possession. Each team had close chances, but neither could convert in the first half and the teams went into the interval scoreless.
As the second half started, the Kraze struck quickly when they earned a corner kick in the 47th minute. Johnny Mendoza's driven corner was well-finished by Ryan Maloney at the near post.
The goal woke Brilla up and they began to create chance after chance. The pressure paid off in the 58th minute when David Palmer smashed a shot into the top corner of the Kraze net after being set up from a long run by Moses Aduny.
Despite excellent chances both ways, neither team could find the back of the net for the rest of the game, mainly due to stellar goalkeeper play from Mississippi's Brendan Moore and the Kraze's Keneil Baker.
"It is a point earned on the road, which is a must to succeed in this league, but you hate to not get a win that you think was there for the taking," said Brilla coach David Dixon.
Brilla's next match will be Thursday as as they travel to face the Nashville Metros for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Ezell Park Stadium, which will also be a U.S. Open Cup qualifying match for both teams. The Brilla and Kraze are locked in competition for the berth in the tournament from the Southeast Division.