FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 8, 2011
Virginia Beach, Virginia – After getting off to a lightning fast start that included shot after shot on goal, the PDL Piranhas allowed just one and lost to the Northern Virginia Royals 1-0 Saturday night at the Sportsplex.
A rocket of a shot by Thiago Silva in the 4th minute, a masterful save by goalkeeper Dillon Brunk in the 10th minute, another shot by Silva six minutes later followed by a shot from Tyler Clare in the 23rd didn’t help the Piranhas. They couldn’t find the back of the net. The first half ended 0-0.
The shots continued by Marcello Alves, Yannick Smith and Sebastian Fischer - all high, wide or into the crossbar. The match was a 50-50 match; each possession counted and each team had good chances. But Northern Virginia second half sub Kingsley Onwuka took advantage of the one that he had and put his shot into the back of the Virginia Beach goal in the 65th minute and that’s all that the Royals needed.
“We came to this game with a clear desire to win,” said head coach Cesar Rizzo. “We knew it would be a tough match – that they are in second place in the division and we tried very hard to neutralize them. We succeeded except for one isolated play and that’s all it took.”
The Piranhas will travel to Real Maryland on Saturday, July16 and Fredericksburg on July 17 and will return home on July 23 to again face the Royals in their last game of the season.
For more information on the Virginia Beach Piranhas, including sponsorships, camps, and tickets or to volunteer, please call 757-572-1592 or visit www.vbpiranhas.com.
Scoring Summary
1 2 F
Virginia Beach 0 0 0
No. Virginia 0 1 1
Northern Virginia: Kingsley Onwuka 65 (Maurice Hughes)
Starting Lineups:
Virginia Beach: Dillon Brunk, Sebastian Fischer (Luis Zamora 56), Cody Merkes, Mo Conteh, Robert Acosta, Devin Pierce, Jordan LeBlanc (Kalin Rosales 69), Tyler Clare (Amir Shihata 68), Thiago Silva, Marcello Alves (Maycon Malta 75), Patrick Thompson (Yannick Smith 54)
Northern Virginia: Alejandro Almadovar, Steven Duran, Moussa Diallo, Shaban, Maurice Hughes, Michael Green, Richard Burke (Drar Foto 88), Sean O’Reilly, Myles McGinley (Kingsley Onwuka 68), Christian Neagu (Ernesto Martinez 45), Ahmed Sheta
Game Statistics:
Shots: VBP 14, NVA 19; Saves: VBP 11, NVA 10; Fouls: VBP 17, NVA 13; Offsides: VBP 1, NVA 5; Corners: VBP 1, NVA 5; Cautions: Virginia Beach (Mo Conteh 36), Northern Virginia (Steve Duran 33, Richard Burke 68); Ejections: None; Officials: Charles Carson, Shaun Papperman, Michael Samaan; Attendance: 485; Weather: Cloudy, warm.
Carol Senechal
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