0-1 min. 12 Mauricio Salles (MON)
Bayamón, PR - The Puerto Rico Islanders, depleted by key injuries, fell to the Montreal Impact by a 1-0 score in a Sunday afternoon match-up at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium of Bayamón, in front of an attendance of 4,816.
Ex - Islander star Mauricio Salles, now with the Impact, was returning to the place he called home for two years and was well received by the local crowd. Salles saluted the fans before and after the game.
Business is business, however, and once the whistle sounded, Salles went to work against his former mates. It would be the Brazilian who would score the lone goal of the match at the 12th minute. Leonardo Di Lorenzo drove a free kick into the penalty box, where Nevio Pizzolitto deflected the ball with his head. That deflected ball arrived to an unmarked Salles who had no problem getting it past Islander goalkeeper Dan Kennedy for the 1-0 lead.
Puerto Rico reacted very well despite a long list of injuries mostly on the offensive side, and which included creator and leader Petter Villegas. In the 27th minute a rehearsed play off a foul kick ended with a close-range shot from Joshua Caleb Norkus that barely sailed wide left.
Norkus almost had the equalizer in the 35th minute but a controversial call by referee Adam Nehme nullified the play. The Islander striker had headed the ball into the nets off a corner kick, but Nehme called an Islander foul inside the box area during the play. The goal was disallowed.
The second half was basically about Puerto Rico looking for the equalizer while Montreal built a defensive wall to maintain their lead.
That half started with two ejections: Ze Roberto of Montreal in the 48th minute and Mauricio Segovia of the Islanders in the 54th. Norkus would later see the red card in stoppage time. More than 10 cards total were shown during the match.
Puerto Rico engaged on the attack and created lots of chances. Nevertheless, Greg Sutton, the Impact goalkeeper, would rise to the occasion and become the hero for the visiting team with three or four key saves. In the 63rd minute Sutton stopped an Alan Marcina headshot from about 10 yards out. Two minutes later the goalie denied Marco Vélez on a header from point-blank range. Then in the 72nd Sutton again frustrated the Islanders. Alejandro Gonzalez's cross from the right connected with Norkus who headed the ball toward Sutton. Again, the goalkeeper made a brilliant save for his club.
Puerto Rico came close many times to tying the match. However, the tight Montreal defense and an inspired Greg Sutton were able to maintain the lead all the way to the final whistle.
The next Islanders' match will be the fourth straight at home. It is scheduled for May 7th against the Rochester Raging Rhinos at the Juan Ramon Loubriel in a 5 p.m. local time (5 p.m. EST) kick-off.
