MILWAUKEE - Art Kramer's season-long mantra of patience has paid off for the Milwaukee Wave United in the last few weeks. Friday night, the same advice also worked wonders for Wave United forward Greg Howes.
Howes took a pass from second-half substitute Digital Takawira, spun around defender Kevin Knott and fired a shot past Virginia Beach goalkeeper Matt Nelson in the 75th minute, lifting Milwaukee to a 2-1 victory at Uihlein Soccer Park that stretched Wave United's unbeaten streak to five games (4-0-1).
"We didn't stress it to the guys, but this was huge," said Kramer, whose team improved to 5-7-2 (17 points) and pulled within seven points of Seattle for fourth place in the Western Conference - with four games still in hand. "We needed to win this one."
And they did just that, with a big key being Chris Morman and then Joe Hammes clamping down on Mariners forward Dante Washington, and Chad Dombrowski doing the same to Washington's strike partner, Carlos Garcia.
The forwards, who had two goals apiece in Virginia Beach's 5-2 rout of Wave United back on June 18, combined for just one shot in the match (by Garcia) against the man-marking system Milwaukee implemented six games ago.
"He's huge, he's a horse up top," Hammes said of Washington, second in the A-League in scoring with 22 points (nine goals, four assists). "He's hard to handle, great in the air. You've just got to try to keep him in front of you."
Hammes moved into the role marking Washington in the 36th minute, when Morman was forced to the sidelines with what Kramer called a charley horse in his right thigh.
"I've played marking back before. I like the 1-on-1 duels," Hammes said. "You've got your man and it's 'Who's going to have the best of who that day?' I like that. I think we're all happy with (the man-marking system)."
Wave United players were also happy when Howes connected to break the 1-1 tie, allowing them to end a streak of three straight overtime matches.
Howes' fourth goal of the season and the 44th of his five-year A-League career capped a great sequence made possible by Takawira's patience in the middle of the field.
Takawira, who came on in the 66th minute in place of Todd Dusosky, controlled the ball in the middle of the field, holding onto it despite several attempts by Mariners players to dispossess him. He then found Howes streaking down the right flank.
"I was using my experience," said the 32-year-old Takawira, a former Major League Soccer All-Star in his fifth A-League season. "I knew they were being too physical, so I was trying by all means to get away from them as quick as possible, don't let them get the ball. The bigger they are, the easier to dribble.
"I saw (Howes) wide. He told me when I (went) in, he said 'Digi, I'm ready to run. Just give me the ball.' So every time I get the ball, I'm looking for Howesy."
Added Kramer: "They were trying hard to stop him, but he made three or four strong moves in there, and what a great ball to Howesy. That's what you hope you add a guy like Digital to a game."
Howes paused for a moment and waited for Knott to commit, which brought Nelson off his line. Apparently assuming Knott would handle the situation, Knott then inched back toward the goal, only to see Howes deke around the defender and head in alone.
Nelson had little chance, and could only get a glancing hand on Howes' driven shot to the far post from about 15 yards out.
"He really wasn't in a position to make a save - I had a lot of goal to shoot at," said Howes, who had been denied on a prime scoring chance in the 28th minute when his shot bounced off the underside of the crossbar and out.
"You don't get many opportunities that golden … and it was a situation where I just had to keep it low. I knew he couldn't get down on it, and I've been putting a lot of my shots high and the keeper's been saving them."
Coming off an MVP season in the Major Indoor Soccer League for the Milwaukee Wave, Howes and Kramer agreed that the 27-year-old struggled to change his approach. In the indoor game, a quick-strike, aggressive attitude is needed; that's not the case outdoors.
"He's really, I think, been patient once he's gotten the ball trying to take people on," said Kramer, who saw Howes finish fourth in the A-League scoring race last season with totals of 11-12-34.
"Early in the season I think he was rushed 1v1, but has really watched a lot of tape and seen that he just needs to slow himself down 1v1. We know what a great shot he is, it was just a matter of time."
Johnny Torres showed impeccable timing as he opened the scoring for Milwaukee in the 14th minute. Stationed on the right side of the box, Wave United's leading scorer took a pass from Dusosky, and somehow managed to get a foot on the ball while falling to the ground. The ball glanced off the right post and rolled in for Torres' sixth goal of the year.
The Mariners tied the match 17 minutes later when Hamisi Amani-Dove took a feed from Jose Gomez and, also while falling, ripped a left-footed shot from 13 yards out past Milwaukee keeper Jim Larkin for his third goal of the season.
Larkin, however, came up with a huge save in the final minutes, leaping and swatting away Knott's curling shot from the left side that appeared ticketed for the upper right corner in the 85th minute.
The Mariners (6-8-3) had one last chance in the final minute of stoppage time, as Torres fouled former Milwaukee Rampage player Jeff Bilyk, setting up a straight-on free kick from about 30 yards out. Steve Danbusky's kick was deflected out for a corner kick, and the final whistle blew after Bilyk's corner fell to the ground - leaving Virginia Beach 0-6-3 on the road this season.
"This was the same type of game early in the season that went the other way," Kramer said. "And now here we are at the midpoint of the season, and these tight ones are going our way."
July 9, 2004 - Uihlein Soccer Park
Milwaukee Wave United 2, Virginia Beach Mariners 1
Att.: 1,301
Virginia Beach 1-0 - 1
Milwaukee 1-1 - 2
Milwaukee - Johnny Torres 6 (Todd Dusosky) 14
Virginia Beach - Hamisi Amani-Dove 3 (Jose Gomez) 31
Milwaukee - Greg Howes 4 (Digital Takawira) 75
VIRGINIA BEACH: Matt Nelson - Steve Danbusky, Kevin Knott, Russ Hutchison, Mike Kirmse (Daniel Alvarez 84) - Jose Gomez, Jeff Bilyk, Steve Shak (Tony McManus 64), Hamisi Amani-Dove - Dante Washington, Carlos Garcia (Jakob Fenger 68).
Substitutes not used: Matt Pickens, Jeremy Aldrich, Joe Morelli, Mark Jonas.
MILWAUKEE: Jim Larkin - Steve Lawrence, Chris Morman (Giuliano Oliviero 36), Chad Dombrowski - Joe Hammes, Ibrahim Kante, Matt Schmidt, Johnny Torres - Greg Howes, Jamar Beasley (Nino Marcantonio 74), Todd Dusosky (Digital Takawira 66).
Substitutes not used: Jeff Richey, Nick Walls, Marcelo Fontana, Troy Dusosky.
Saves: VB - Nelson 3; M - Larkin 2.
Shots: VB 8, M 8. Fouls: VB 14, M 19. Corner kicks: VB 2, M 3.
Discipline: VB - Shak (caution 52), Bilyk (caution 78); M - Kante (caution 25).
