Reading United AC News Release -- www.readingunitedac.com
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
READING, Pa. – As quickly as Reading’s season burst out of the gates, it ended just as swiftly. Robert Youhill’s 50th-minute blast was the only goal Jersey needed in a 1-0 victory over Reading United, officially ending their season.
Reading keeper Brian Holt had another outstanding outing, saving five of Jersey’s six shots to preserve a manageable one-goal margin for United. Holt, who finished first in the league in games, minutes, and wins, sixth in shutouts, and eighth in goals-against average, made numerous outstanding stops to keep Reading’s season alive. First, he handled a blast in the box in the fifth minute, as Jersey’s Shawn Foster’s half-volley was snared.
It paled in comparison to his saves late in the game. In the 80th, Joseph Ovenseri thought he had the game put away when he found space between Reading’s center backs. Holt was able to get his fingertips on the attempt, deflected it off the bottom of the crossbar, which was then cleared off the line. In stoppage time, the Express had a one-on-one opportunity, where Holt scrambled to the top of the box, tipped the ball away from the streaking Jersey forward, and crawled back into the box to cover up.
Despite the spectacular play on defensive end, the offense could not produce the same. Out of their five total shots, Reading could only muster one shot on net, despite a much more even attack than the previous few games. Matt Sanner’s bouncer was scooped up by 2010 PDL Goalkeeper of the Year Ryan Meara in the 87th minute.
It ended a whirlwind ten-day span for the United that began and ended with the Express. A 0-0 tie on July 16th seemingly snuffed out Reading’s offense for the remainder of the year. They followed up with a 0-0 draw at Long Island on July 20th, a game that they surely thought would cement them in the play-in game. However, when the opportunity arose to snag the No.1 seed and a chance to host the Eastern Conference Playoffs after Long Island failed to clinch on Saturday, Reading could not capitalize in a 3-2 loss to Central Jersey on Sunday afternoon.
Despite finishing with the third-best record in the league, Reading now finds themselves looking to the future. For most, it means packing and gearing up for another college season. For others, it begins the search for another opportunity to move up the soccer pyramid. For the coaches and staff, it starts looking forward to 2012 and how to improve the United product both on and off the field. It was a humbling ending to a promising season, but an ending that only fuels the fire for the Reading United’s preparation for next year.
CAROLINA DYNAMO 1, NORTHERN VIRGINIA ROYALS 0: The Carolina Dynamo defeated the Northern Virginia Royals 1-0 to win the South Atlantic Division Championship. The game's lone goal came in the 24th minute through Robbie Lovejoy, his fourth goal of the season in league play.
NEW HAMPSHIRE PHANTOMS 1, MPS PORTLAND PHOENIX 0: Christopher Tsonis scored the only goal of the game as the Phantoms moved into the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a 1-0 victory against the Phoenix on Tuesday night. Tsonis scored in the 32nd minute, as the Phantoms won their first PDL playoff game since joining the league in 2008.