USL PRO Game Report
Friday, June 27, 2014
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The Harrisburg City Islanders got a 90th-minute goal from Coady Andrews to force a 1-1 draw with the Charlotte Eagles at Skyline Sports Complex on Friday night. Fred Sekyere had given the Eagles the lead just before the hour-mark, but Andrews' header from a corner kick earned his side a point as honors ended even.
The first half was relatively low on action; the Eagles took only three shots and the Islanders had two. Charlotte came out strongly, and had a goal ruled out for a handball in the second minute. Ben Newnam came close to breaking the deadlock just before the halftime break for the Eagles, but his shot hit the underside of the crossbar and bounce out to safety.
At the other end, Andrews and Jimmy McLaughlin went close for the City Islanders before the break. Andrews had an opportunity off a corner in the seventh minute, but the ball skimmed just over the crossbar. Ten minutes later, Mclaughlin found some breathing room through a patch of Charlotte defenders and let one fire. The shot looked good, just out of reach of Eagles' keeper, Alec Kann, but the ball met the right post and rebounded to safety to leave the game scoreless.
The Eagles grabbed the lead in the 57th minute after some nice movement from midfielder Fred Sekyere. The move began with Wells Thompson, who angled a cross from the left side to Sekyere, whose first-time finish found the back of the net and gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead. The Eagles almost doubled their lead through Thompson in the 59th minute, but Noble came up big with the save to keep it a one-goal game.
The City Islanders pushed forward to try and score late in the second half, and they would be rewarded just before the final whistle, Harrisburg midfielder Danny DiPrima set himself up for a corner kick, and his delivery to the center of the penalty area found Andrews, whose downward header bounced high into the top-right corner of the net past a defender on the goal line for the equalizer.
Harrisburg remains at home next Saturday as it hosts the Charleston Battery on Saturday, July 5 at 7 p.m. ET. The Eagles will move on to face the Rochester Rhinos on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. ET as they complete their weekend road trip before returning home to the Queens Sports Complex to face the Dayton Dutch Lions on Saturday, July 5 at 8 p.m. ET