(Charlotte, NC) – The Charlotte Eagles hosted the Western Mass Pioneers tonight in the Eagles second match of the 2006 season. It was a rematch with the Eagles 2005 Championship game opponent. Charlotte and Western Mass finished in a 0-0 draw.
Charlotte controlled much of the tempo in the first half, doing well to possess the ball. The Eagles outshot the Pioneers 10-3 in the half.
Eagles midfielder Taurai Daka had the first good scoring chance of the match in the 5th minute of play. Daka received a lofting pass about ten yards from goal, controlled and got off a quick shot which sailed just over the crossbar.
Dustin Swinehart had a pair of close chances in the first half for the Eagles. In the 17th minute Chris Lemons took a throw deep in Pioneer territory, finding Swinehart at the top of the six yard box. Swinehart’s shot to the right post was deflected wide right by the Western Mass defense. Then in the 25th minute Taurai Daka made a crafty pass in to Swinehart with space. Dustin took a low shot to the right post, but Pioneers goalkeeper Josh Cole did a great job to cut down his angle and make the save.
Western Mass forward Omar McFarlane was the biggest threat to the Charlotte defense with his blazing speed down the flanks. In the 39th minute McFarlane got away on the counter attack. He broke through the slide tackle of Josh Rife and turned the corner to goal. McFarlane’s shot to the far post was saved off the goal line by Eagles veteran defender Ben Johnson.
The Western Mass Pioneers stepped up their game in the second half and kept play a bit tighter. Neil Krause had the first close shot of the half in the 56th minute. Krause fired from about 35 yards out, but put the shot wide left.
In the 56th minute Ben Johnson took a long throw in deep in the Western Mass half. Johnson found Swinhart at the near post. Swinehart flicked a header on goal just inside the right post, but Josh Cole made the diving save for the Pioneers.
Western Mass would get their next close chance in the 76th minute. Gregg Schroder’s foul brought up a Western Mass free kick at the top right corner of the Eagles 18 yard box. Federico Molinari fired a shot on goal, but Chris McClellan was there to make the save.
In the 81st minute of play, Charlotte forward Jacob Coggins came out of the game after a leg injury. Western Mass played extremely tight coverage on Coggins all night and had the double team ready whenever Coggins got the ball. They did will to prevent the 2005 scoring champion from putting one on the board tonight.
Dustin Swinehart had one last nice scoring chance in the 90th minute of play. Swinehart, turning in the air at the top of the 18 yard box hit a full volley on goal, but Josh Cole was there to preserve the tie. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.
“We had lots of opportunities on goal tonight and just couldn’t finish. I’m more pleased with our performance tonight than with last weeks performance in the 1-0 win over Cincinnati . We played nicely tonight and showed progress, but didn’t put it in the net. On the other end we got another shutout tonight so our defense in looking sharp, which is great this early in the season,” commented Eagles Head Coach Mark Steffens.
The Charlotte Eagles return to home field action next Friday night hosting North Carolina rival the Wilmington Hammerheads. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm at Waddell Stadium. Fans can save $2.00 on each ticket by purchasing at least one day in advance at www.CharlotteEagles.com or by calling the Eagles Ticket Line at (704) 841-8644 x 32.
