(DUDLEY FIELD, El Paso, TX) - A highly-questionable penalty kick in the 89th minute settled a highly-competitive A-League match between the Cincinnati Riverhawks and the El Paso Patriots. Unfortunately for the homestanding Patriots, referee Jesse Johnson's decision to award the PK to the Riverhawks doomed a gallant come-from-behind effort.
After drawing the penalty, Man-of-the-Match Allen Eller converted against the Patriots' Scott Alexander in goal to give Cincinnati a 3-2 win, sending the Riverhawks back ahead of El Paso for second place in the hotly contested Central Division.
Perhaps the greater misfortune for El Paso, though, was the team's lack of control after the PK. In the final minute of regulation plus five minutes of added time the Patriots garnered three red cards, managing to lose their leading scorer, Laurenco Andrade, their leading playmaker, Jose Abarca, and - in a post-match red card for good measure - forward Victor Arreola, who let loose a stream of invective at the officials after the final whistle.
Upset at Johnson, all three lost their cool, not to mention their opportunity to play at Portland next week.
El Paso defender Pablo Cabrera has also accumulated 21 "points" for fouling and will have to sit out a match as El Paso visits Portland and Seattle next Friday and Sunday, respectively.
Credit the Riverhawks; playing in temperatures well into the 90's, suffering from cramps in the latter stages of the match, Cincinnati scored when it counted, including the all-important first goal just nine minutes into the match.
Eller sent a pass into the box for Marcel Matis, who shot the ball past a helpless Alexander at the right post for the goal.
In the opening minutes of the second half, the Riverhawks struck again, as former Patriot Juan Sastoque, subbing in at the 30-minute mark, came on a dead run right up the left wing. Leaving his defender trailing in his wake, Sastoque blasted the shot from 15 yards out as Alexander came off his line to challenge, beating the El Paso goalkeeper low to the far post in the 48th minute.
Sastoque had family and friends in attendance, and they cheered the goal among the 1,049 in attendance.
But El Paso's offense had been insistent, though incomplete, throughout the match, and patience finally paid off, as Andrade broke through the Cincinnati midfield to rip a 20-yard shot right post past a diving Eric Pattison in net in the 56th minute.
Properly fueled, the Patriots continued to work their newfound momentum, helped some by Cincinnati's second red card in as many matches. The larger Riverhawks physically dominated El Paso throughout the match, but in the 61st minute Edward Child was caught throwing forearms into the chest of substitute Ahmed Figueroa and was sent off by Johnson.
Ready and waiting, the Patriots seized an opportunity ten minutes later, as Andrade put a beautiful through ball into open space for Figueroa. The native El Pasoan turned on the jets and found himself hard against the goal line on the right side one-on-one versus Pattison, but put a beautiful shot far post past the keeper to even the score in the 71st minute for his first goal this season.
Both teams dueled without success to score the matchwinner until the 89th minute when Patriots defender Sidnei dos Santos and Eller tangled in the right corner of the El Paso area. Eller dragged his leg across dos Santos, falling onto the grass and Johnson blew his whistle.
The Patriots fall below .500 once again (7-8-2, 23 points) while the Riverhawks improve to 8-9-0 (24 points) as the teams split their regular season series, 2-2. El Paso finishes its seven-match homestand a disappointing 2-4-1.
CINCINNATI 3, EL PASO 2
Scoring: C Matis (9, Eller), C Sastoque (48th), EP Andrade (56), EP Figueroa (71, Andrade), C Eller (89, PK).
CINCINNATI: Eric Pattison, Tim Finklea, Jeremy Piette, Joe Morelli, John Cipriani, Andres Murriagui (88, Rasool Alizadeh), Allen Eller, Edward Child, Craig Yacks, Marcel Matis (66, Joaquin Palomique), Salvatore Piraine (30, Juan Sastoque).
EL PASO: Scott Alexander, Sidnei dos Santos, Hamlet Diaz, Carlos Martinez (89, Tim Pierce), Pablo Cabrera, Javier Carrasco (54, Ahmed Figueroa), Junro Narita, Freddy Juárez, Enrique Cervantes (54, Michael Griego 77, Victor Arreola), Jose Abarca, Laurenco Andrade.
Shots: C 7-1-8, EP 11-8-19. Saves: C 6-4-10, EP 11-0-11. Fouls: C 6-5-11, EP 5-12-17. Offsides: C 1-0-1, EP 2-4-6. Corner Kicks: C 4-1-5, EP 4-1-5. Cautions: C 4 (Piraine 12, Piette 43, Yacks 63, Finklea 83), EP 2 (Carrazco 50, Martinez 77). Ejections: C 1 (Child 61), EP 3 (Arreola 90, Abarca 90, Andrade 90). Officials: Jesse Johnson, Brad Clem, Jeremy Vehar, Anthony Josh Herrera. Attendance: 1,049.
