Date/Time: April 25, 2003 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Providence High School, Charlotte, NC
Game Conditions: Cloudy, wet, 62°
Attendance: 645
Previous Match-ups:
Charlotte 3 at Pittsburgh 1 on June 29, 2002
Charlotte 3 vs. Pittsburgh 2 (OT) on July 13, 2002
Charlotte 1 at Pittsburgh 2 on July 20, 2002
Upcoming Match-ups:
Saturday, July 5th, 2003 -Charlotte at Pittsburgh
Next Eagles' Game:
Charlotte Eagles vs. Syracuse Salty Dogs
Friday, May 2, 7:30 p.m., Providence H.S.
*This will be Syracuse's first-ever A-League game.
Starting Lineups:
Charlotte Pittsburgh
1 GK Dean Short 0 GK Randy Dedini
5 D Kevin O'Brien 2 D Aaron Thomas
7 M Leo Gajardo 3 D Eric Ongao
11 D Josh Rife 4 M Gary Depalma
12 D Jonah Long 5 M Ricardo Iribarren
14 D Jason Acres 7 M Justin Evans
16 F Jose Gomez 9 F Thiago Martins
17 M Hayden Woodworth 15 D David Wright
18 F Dustin Swinehart 16 F Alexsey Korol
20 F Jacob Coggins 21 D Derek Potteiger
23 M Andy McDermott 23 F Corey Woolfolk
Game Summary
The Charlotte Eagles came out Friday night looking for their first win of the 2003 season after a disappointing 0 - 1 loss to the Cincinnati Riverhawks in the season opener. The Riverhounds were playing their season opener against the Eagles in Charlotte after losing two out of three games to the Eagles in 2002. Early expectations were that the game would be close, hard-fought and could go either way. All that changed in the first fifteen minutes of the game.
The Pittsburgh offense came out in mid-season form, scoring in the 4th (Woolfolk), 13th (Evans) and 15th (Martins) minutes to take a 3 - 0 lead against the shell-shocked Eagles. These goals were all beautiful plays as the Eagles defense was beaten over and over by the Riverhounds forwards. If this wasn't bad enough, there were at least two other offensive opportunities for the Hounds that could have been goals, but narrowly missed the net. After the third goal, Eagles forward Dustin Swinehart gathered his team together to try to inspire some improved play, but the damage was already done and the outcome of this game was settled.
The remainder of the first half was fairly even in possession and offensive opportunities. The Eagles defense held together a little better and the offense created some excellent scoring chances but just couldn't finish - a problem that has been with this team for some time. Pittsburgh scored the fourth goal of the game in the 32nd minute (Martins), making the halftime score 4 - 0.
The Eagles controlled play for much of the second half. It was hard to tell if this was due to improved play by the Eagles or because Pittsburgh had the win in hand, had a game in Atlanta on Saturday night and just wanted the game to end. The Eagles created some scoring chances by pushing just about everyone forward. Dustin Swinehart and Jeremy Sorzano had outstanding chances to score but were turned away by the excellent play of Pittsburgh goalkeeper Dedini. Despite the fireworks by the Pittsburgh offense, Dedini was the player of the match. He stopped two excellent shots by the Eagles early in the game and set the tone for what was to follow. Pittsburgh scored again in the 70th minute (Villar) to make the final score 5 - 0. It was the worst defeat ever for the Eagles and disheartening for the team and their fans alike.
The Eagles have a lot of work to do on both the offensive and defensive ends if they are going to be successful this season. The defense was beaten badly in the first half and was clearly outplayed by the Riverhounds. Ben Johnson came in at the 30th minute and he seemed to add some stability. In the second half, the Eagles went with experience on the back line with Kevin O'Brien, Ben Johnson and Chris Allen. Josh Rife, who is a great addition to the Eagles squad and has played very well in both games, was the fourth defender in the first half but moved to attacking midfield at halftime. Although the Riverhounds did score a 2nd half goal, defensively the Eagles were stronger.
I don't know what to make of the offensive slump. The Eagles had trouble scoring goals throughout the 2002 season and that continues this season. Dustin Swinehart is a proven A-League forward, but he desperately needs some help. Defenses are keying on Swinehart and his opportunities are going to be limited until another player steps up as a legitimate scoring threat. Lee Paul could turn out to be this threat if he continues to play as well as he has thus far. This match was Hayden Woodworth's A-League debut, and he played very well in the first half. He could also pose a scoring threat as well as becoming a great asset to the Eagles forwards because he is very good at setting up plays.
Eagles' Injury Report
" Nate Watkins is out with a recurring groin injury.
" Andy Guasteferro is out with a pulled quad but should be ready for the next game.
" Jacob Coggins is still able to play, but has a sprained ankle.
" Also unable to play are Roger Groome, Richard Goddard, and Hugo Galeano. Groome is waiting on a Green Card, and Goddard and Galeano are waiting on visas.
Game Stats
Scoring 1 2 1OT 2OT Final
Charlotte 0 0 0
Pittsburgh 4 1 5
Shots 1 2 1OT 2OT Final
Charlotte 9 8 17
Pittsburgh 7 3 10
Saves 1 2 1OT 2OT Final
Charlotte 0 1 1
Pittsburgh 4 3 7
Fouls 1 2 1OT 2OT Final
Charlotte 3 4 7
Pittsburgh 3 2 5
Offsides 1 2 1OT 2OT Final
Charlotte 2 0 2
Pittsburgh 0 3 3
Corners 1 2 1OT 2OT Final
Charlotte 0 3 3
Pittsburgh 4 6 10
Cautions/Ejections
Minute C/E Player Team
80th C 10 F Lee Paul Charlotte
Substitutions
Team Minute Player In Player Out
Charlotte 30th 2 Ben Johnson 12 Jonah Long
Charlotte 38th 13 Jeremy Sorzano 14 Jason Acres
Charlotte 45th 10 Lee Paul 20 Jacob Coggins
Charlotte 45th 3 Chris Allen 17 Hayden Woodworth
Pittsburgh 53rd 10 Paul Dolinsky 16 Alexsey Korol
Pittsburgh 56th 13 David Flavis 23 Corey Woolfolk
Pittsburgh 67th 11 Richardo Villar 4 Gary Depalma
Pittsburgh 73rd 6 Brent Jacuette 5 Ricardo Iribarren
Pittsburgh 75th 12 Michael Green 21 Derek Potteiger
Charlotte 78th 19 Aaron Faro 16 Jose Gomez
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