Wilmington hammerheads News Release -- www.wilmingtonhammerheads.com
Saturday, July 16, 2011
WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Wilmington Hammerheads fought for a fierce comeback on Saturday night as they rode three second-half goals to a 3-1 victory against the Harrisburg City Islanders at Legion Stadium, strengthening their bid for the USL PRO playoffs.
The Hammerheads moved to 9-5-3 in the USL standings, while the City Islanders fell to 7-5-5.
The Hammerheads pressured early on with a shot on goal in the first five minutes from forward Andryi Budnyy that was saved at the near post. The City Islanders fired back when defender Stephen Basso powered the ball high over the crossbar at the seven-minute mark.
Wilmington forward Chris Banks drilled a ground cross to Budnyy who knocked two back-to-back shots on target in the 28th minute but swift City Islanders goalkeeper Chase Harrison blocked both efforts. Minutes later, a defensive scramble in the Hammerheads’ box created an own goal by midfielder Chris Murray to give the City Islanders a 1-0 edge in the 33rd minute, which Harrisburg was able to retain until the halftime break.
Harrisburg attacked quickly in the second half with a long shot from midfielder Jason Hotchkin from outside the penalty area, but he was denied by Hammerheads goalkeeper Brock Duckworth who dove to the far post, deflecting the ball to safety.
Wilmington battled back when Budnyy dribbled down the flank and sent a ground cross to forward Andrew Cuero. Cuero slid for the ball, beating Harrison, and tucked it into the back of the net to tie the game 1-1 in the 65th minute.
The Hammerheads then took the lead in the 76th minute when midfielder Luke Mulholland snapped the deadlock off an assist from Budnyy, his second of the night. Mulholland scored his team-high sixth goal of the season as he one-timed the ball into the back of the net for a 2-1 lead. Wilmington continued to attack and brought the crowd to its feet again in the 85th minute when midfielder Richard Jata went one-on-one with Harrison and notched another Hammerheads goal to push the margin to 3-1. The goal was Jata’s first of the season.
The Hammerheads will now face back-to-back games against Charlotte, which Wilmington now leads by five points for the fourth and final berth in the USL PRO American Division playoffs. The Hammerheads visit Charlotte, N.C., to take on the Eagles at Charlotte Christian Stadium at 7 p.m. next Friday before hosting the Eagles at Legion Stadium next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the City Islanders will play host to F.C. New York on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.