After a Relentless Second Half Assault,
Orlando City SC Falls to Harrisburg 3-2
The Orlando City SC Lions went on the road without two key starters, Darwin Cerén and Luke Boden, due to suspensions, to face the Harrisburg City Islanders (8-8-6, 30 points), a team who recently lost only one game in their last seven and rode a three-game win streak heading into tonight’s match.
Nonetheless, Orlando City SC (15-2-4, 49 points) was coming off a convincing win over Charlotte, becoming the first team to secure a playoff berth in the USL PRO for 2014. Unfortunately, despite a valiant last half offensive charge, the Lions lost 3-2 tonight at Skyline Sports Complex.
City dominated most of possession and dictated the pace of play early in the game. The offense created a number of chances with some great runs toward the net, resulting in a couple of early corner kicks and set plays.
Orlando’s best chance came in the 16th minute as Dennis Chin cleverly chested a ball into the path of a charging Kevin Molino. The Trinidadian fired a shot, forcing a spectacular save from Nicholas Noble to keep the Lions off the score sheet.
Lady luck however, turned her back. After receiving a free kick outside the penalty box, Harrisburg’s Derschang curled an unstoppable shot into the upper 90 beyond an outstretched Gallardo in the 20th minute. In the 29th minute, Antoine Hoppenot was tackled by Adama Mbengue just inside the penalty area, and the Islanders were awarded a penalty shot. Derschang converted to post a brace for the match.
The early part of the second half was just as challenging. Following a missed penalty kick by Hoppenot in the 46th minute, he found the back of the net by sliding a ball past Gallardo in the 53rd minute for Harrisburg’s final tally of the match.
After a few key substitutions by Head Coach Adrian Heath, the Lions’ intensity notably increased as the team built solid plays, made good runs into space and opened scoring opportunities in the Islanders’ defense. In the 81st minute, Molino added to his league scoring title chase by redirecting a crossed header from Justin Clark into the back of the net. Six minutes later, Mbengue slid a precise line to Giusepe Gentile – who found the net for the first time as a Lion since joining the team in July.
Commenting on the performance after the match, Coach Heath said, “It started slowly and in difficult conditions for both teams. I thought they wanted to win the game more than we did and (our effort) was too little too late. The last two or three weeks, our away form has been very concerning. We’ll have to improve it if we want to do what we want to achieve. Otherwise it will be a big disappointment.”
SPECIAL NOTE: Prior to the match, The Harrisburg City Islanders organization held a special presentation with OCSC Head Coach Adrian Heath, recognizing the longstanding relationship between the clubs and Orlando City’s move to the MLS in 2015.
NEXT Match: Orlando City will face Harrisburg City Islanders at the ESPN Wide World of Sports on August 16 at 7:30 pm ET.
For more information on Orlando City SC, 2015 MLS Season Tickets or tickets to the Club’s remaining USL Pro home games, visit www.OrlandoCitySC.com or call 855-ORL-CITY. Also, follow the latest Orlando City news and updates via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Orlando City SC Match Recap
Team 1 2 Final
Orlando City SC 0 2 2
Harrisburg City Islanders 2 1 3
Scoring Summary:
HAR – Robbie Derschang (Unassisted) 21’
HAR – Robbie Derschang (Unassisted) 30’
HAR – Antoine Hoppenot (Yann Ekra) 53’
ORL – Kevin Molina (Justin Clark) 81’
ORL – Giuseppe Gentile (Adama Mbengue) 87’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City SC – GK Miguel Gallardo, D Tyler Turner (Justin Clark 45’), Brad Rusin, Tommy Redding, Adama Mbengue, M Aodhan Quinn (Adrian Heath 73’), Ian Christianson, Brian Span (Giuseppe Gentile 45), Kevin Molino, Austin da Luz, F Dennis Chin (Corey Hertzog 45’)
Harrisburg City Islanders – GK Nicholas Noble, D Neil Shaffer, Coady Andrews, Richie Marquez, Matthew Bahner, M Yann Ekra, Jose Barril (Jamiel Hardware 79’), Antoine Hoppenot (Jason Pelletier 68’), Robbie Derschang (Clesio Bauque 75’), F Morgan Langley (Colin Zizzi 87’), Pedro Ribeiro
Disciplinary Summary:
HAR – Morgan Langley (Yellow Card 45’)
ORL – Austin da Luz (Yellow Card 49’)
HAR – Yann Ekra (Yellow Card 49’)
HAR – Nicholas Noble (Yellow Card 83’)
ORL – Giuseppe Gentile (Yellow Card 90’)
Match Facts:
Time of Match: 6:00 p.m. EST
Weather: — Sunny and Clear
August 9, 2014
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