BOSTON (Friday, July 14, 2000 - MR18) - The San Diego Flash (10-6-2, 46) and Boston Bulldogs played to a 0-0 draw in a Friday matinee match at Framingham's Bowditch Stadium. San Diego gained a point in the standings in the first game of back-to-back matches.
The Flash could not take advantage of playing a man up for 85 minutes, as Avery John was issued a red card by referee Ken Heller for a serious foul. The teams played a scrappy match with 32 fouls being called. San Diego out-shot Boston 9-6 and had the advantage in corners 9-7, but could not find the back of the net. The Bulldogs never mounted a serious threat against Flash netminder Tom Tate, who recorded two saves en route to his sixth clean-sheet of the season.
The best action of the afternoon came in the second overtime period; as Flash midfielder Guillermo Jara had three shots on goal, but Bulldogs' goalkeeper Russell Payne made saves on all of the attempts. Payne was credited with only three saves in the match, all coming in the second overtime period.
It was the third time this season that San Diego has failed to score in a match, one shy of the club record set in 1998. San Diego has played in only one other scoreless tie, June 20, 1999 against Bay Area, however the Seals won 3-2 in the shootout. Flash head coach Colin Clarke said, "The defense was a concern in the beginning and we addressed that. Now we have to focus our attention on the offense, our inconsistency and lack of production is frustrating." Some relief may come soon, as the club's leding scorer Mark Baena is due to return to action next week.
San Diego, who remains atop the Pacific Division table, concludes its East Coast swing Saturday in Connecticut against the Wolves. The Flash returns to San Diego Mesa College's Douglas Stadium on Saturday, July 22 to square off against the U.S. Pro-40 Road Warriors. The club will then challenge the Los Angeles Galaxy on Tuesday, July 25, 7:35 p.m. at home in a third round Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup contest. Tickets for both matches are available at the Flash office or by phone at 858/581-2120.
SCORING
SD 0 0 0 0- 0
BOS 0 0 0 0- 0
STATS
Shots: SD 9, BOS 6
Saves: SD 2, BOS 3
Fouls: SD 17, BOS 15
Offside: SD 5, BOS 3
Corners: SD 9, BOS 7
LINEUPS
SD: Tate, Banks, Annicchero, Munro, Brown(Alegre 45'), Legg(Jara 63'), Farias, Hetherington, Dumitru(Watson 45'), Farace, Calderson
BOS: Payne, Daley, John, Brooks, Kohler(Maganelle 74'), Gama, Renderos(Kodiat 72'), Phillips, Dos Santos, Grant(Baldwin 31')
CAUTIONS:
SD: Dumitru 16', Jara 70'
BOS: Polti 18', Kohler 31', Dos Santos 60'
EJECTIONS
SD: None
BOS: John 25'
ATTN: 634
WEATHER: Clear, windy, 82 degrees
REFEREE: Ken Heller
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