A dramatic goal in the final seconds of regulation, scored on a brilliant free kick by midfielder Temoc Suarez, gave the Connecticut Wolves a 2-1 victory over the visiting Montreal Impact on Sunday evening at Veterans Memorial Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut. The Wolves broke a two game losing streak by winning the Northern Division match, ending Montreal's two game winning streak in the process.
In the first quarter of the match neither side was able to firmly establish control of the flow of the game, with much of the action taking place in the midfield. Connecticut did continue to push wing backs Dean Sewell and Max Zeiky forward into the attack, with Zeiky heading just wide of the right post in the opening minutes.
For Montreal, George Papandreou proved dangerous in the attack, forcing a fine save from Wolves goalkeeper Adam Throop after Papandreou had intercepted a poor outlet pass. Papandreou continued to be active in the attack throughout the first half, later pouncing on a poor back pass and forcing Throop to make two more saves in quick succession.
Connecticut opened the scoring in the 27th minute. On a corner kick, Temoc Suarez crossed the ball to the back post, where Zeiky was able to rise above the defense and head the ball past Montreal goalkeeper Jim Larkin. This gave the Wolves a 1-0 lead, but the celebrations were short-lived. In a scuffle that occurred while many Connecticut players were congratulating Zeiky on his first goal for the club, Wolves forward Patrick Beech was sent off for elbowing. Now Connecticut had a lead, but Montreal was able to gain the upper hand in terms of possession and territory because of their man advantage.
Papandreous continued to create opportunities for the Impact in the wake of Beech's dismissal, using a clever backheel flick to set up a scoring chance for Montreal midfielder Lloyd Barker, who had a poor first touch from close range that enabled Throop to make the stop. But it was another of Montreal's stars, midfielder Mauro Biello, who tied the match in the 41st minute. Impact forward Niall Thompson laid the ball off for Biello in front of goal 25 yards out. Biello ran onto it and blasted a low drive past Throop and inside the left post to tie the score at 1-1. Montreal carried the momentum from that goal into halftime, with the score still tied at 1 but also with Connecticut getting fewer offensive chances.
In the second half, the Wolves did an excellent job of preventing Montreal from mounting serious scoring threats despite the man advantage. Only Papandreou had a quality scoring chance for the Impact, which he wasted by fanning on a side volley 15 yards from goal. Wolves coach Dan Gaspar credited his team's effort and ability to stick to their defensive assignments:
"When we went a man down, we had ten hearts to defend against a very good team" Gaspar said after the game, "They were getting no penetration through our block of nine."
Montreal displayed some frustration with their inability to break down the solid Connecticut defense, picking up four yellow cards in the second half of play. The Impact maintained possession and territory advantages, but the scoring opportunities remained fairly even throughout the match.
With the match in stoppage time and seemingly headed to overtime, the Wolves made one last charge up the left flank. Winston Griffiths and Mobi Oparaku combined to move the ball up the field, with Oparaku eventually finding space 30 yards out to fire a shot at goal. Martin Dugas blocked the shot for the Impact, but the referee ruled that he had used his arm to knock the ball down. This gave the Wolves a free kick from 20 yards out, directly in front of the Montreal goal, with Dugas picking up a yellow card in the process. Connecticut set up the free kick two minutes into stoppage time. Temoc Suarez stepped up to take the shot, curling the ball around the wall and past Larkin's outstretched hands into the bottom right corner.
It was a dramatic winning goal for the Wolves and a hard defeat for Montreal, who also lost to Connecticut earlier in the season on a Griffiths goal in overtime. This was also the latest in a long string of tight battles in the northern division, with both teams coming off division games that went to overtime. Montreal and Connecticut both showed that they will be competitive in league matches this season. The Wolves face another division rival on Saturday, when they are at home to face the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
Connecticut Wolves 2, Montreal Impact 1
Goals: Connecticut- Max Zeiky- 27th minute
Montreal- Mauro Biello- 41st minute
Connecticut- Temoc Suarez- 90th minute
Cautions: Montreal- Patrice Bernier- 60th minute
Montreal- Sonny Nwachukwu- 71st minute
Montreal- Mauro Biello- 89th minute
Montreal- Martin Dugas- 90th minute
Expulsions: Connecticut- Patrick Beech- 27th minute
Lineups: Montreal Impact- Jim Larkin, Carl Fletcher, Milan Kojic, Nevio Pizzolitto, Nick DeSantis, Patrice Bernier (Rocco Placentino 81), Mauro Biello, Lloyd Barker (Sonny Nwachukwu 56), Giulio Oliviero (Martin Dugas 68), Niall Thompson, George Papandreou
Connecticut Wolves- Adam Throop, Max Zeiky, Adam Eyre, Antonio Soto, Dean Sewell, Winston Griffiths, Mobi Oparaku, Temoc Suarez, Fabio Zuniga, Paul Oyuga, Patrick Beech
