08/08/15 |
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Goal Scorers |
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Ottawa Fury
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4
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Ubiparipovic 9', Wiedeman 54',
Eustaquio 62', Wiedeman 64'
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Indy Eleven
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0
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1
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Lacroix 60'
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Ottawa Fury hit four vs Indy Eleven
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Posted by
Stuart Mactaggart,
August 10, 2015 |
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Email
Stuart Mactaggart
On Twitter:
@FuryFanatic_Mac
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Ottawa Fury came through with a very strong performance on the weekend as they were able to defeat Indy Eleven 4-1 on the road. Goals from Andrew Wiedeman (2), Sinisa Ubiparipovic and Mauro Eustaquio were enough to push Ottawa Fury back into the sole possession of first place in both of the current NASL Standings.
Julian De Guzman missed the match through injury, with the Canadian midfielder out three weeks with a leg problem. Mauro Eustaquio filled in for the missing De Guzman alongside captain Richie Ryan and Sinisa Ubiparipovic in the midfield, while the back four once again remained unchanged. Andrew Wiedeman and Oliver Minatel started on the wings while Tom Heinemann was given the start up front.
Ottawa headed into the match with a four game winning run and an eleven game unbeaten streak. Along the way they have broken defensive records and aim to shatter more along their way. Prior to the match Fury sat second in the combined standings, however with the New York Cosmos drawing their match on the weekend, a win for Fury would put them top of the standings with 30 points. Meanwhile they had a comfortable lead atop the Fall Season standings as they remain unbeaten since May.
The Opening 45
The match started off fairly quickly with each side looking to grab and early goal. Indy Eleven nearly grabbed a goal early on as a second minute shot from thirty-five yards out sailed just over the bar. Fury would go ahead early as Tom Heinemann was able to make an impressive run into the box and cross the ball to an on-running Ubiparipovic who perfectly slotted away the shot from twelve yards out. From this point on Ottawa would control much of the match and, with their new found winning mentality, never look back.
In the sixteenth minute Ceballos was able to get on the end of a lovely pass and look as though he was going to speed past Fury centre-back Colin Falvey. However the Irishman showed tremendous composure and remained with his opponent, delivering a perfectly timed nudge that was hard enough to throw Ceballos off balance for his shot, which went wind, but also soft enough to not draw a foul.
Ubiparipovic had a great first half, along with his goal he had a long range effort that was pushed just over the bar by Eleven’s Nicht. With Eustaquio and Ryan playing strong football through the middle, Ubiparipovic was able to make runs and connect well with Heinemann up front. The match would enter the half with Ottawa Fury leading 1-0 and holding more than their fair share of possession and scoring opportunities.
The Second Half
The second half started off with Fury once again pushing, looking for more goals as Indy seemed reluctant to control possession or press for an equalizer. In the fifty-fourth minute Ryan Richter crossed the ball into the box, where Andrew Wiedeman was able to latch onto the end of it, make a quick turn and put the ball past a sprawling Nicht and into the back of the net for his first NASL goal. Every member of the Fury squad celebrated with Wiedeman as the American striker has struggled to score for Ottawa outside of the Voyageurs Cup.
Indy Eleven would respond in the sixtieth minute as Lacroix was able to dribble through what appeared to be a confused Fury defense and slot home a goal. The goal was uncharacteristic for Fury as they have been extremely strong defensively this year, and they were able to respond instantly as Mauro Eustaquio was able to wrestle his ball through the midfield and release a pass to and on-running Tom Heinemann. Heinemann then proceeded to run the ball into the box, return the ball to Eustaquio who slotted it past Nicht for restore Fury’s two goal lead.
Ottawa would secure their three points as Wiedeman would find his second of the match after winning possession off of Norales, earning himself a clear run to the edge of the box where he place a low shot past a diving Nicht to give Ottawa a 4-1 lead. Although Ottawa would push for a fifth goal they wouldn’t be lucky enough to complete the rout, however the win was enough to put them atop the NASL standings.
Fury now face three home matches in a row against three of the NASL’s top clubs; Minnesota, New York and Tampa Bay. All three clubs are chasing Fury right now, meaning earning wins will be vital if Fury are to be real contenders to be atop the standings at the end of the year.
Man Of The Match
Andrew Wiedeman
Andrew Wiedeman scored two goals that required a strong finish, helping break a goalless streak that was starting to cause people to question his role in the squad. He will certainly have quieted some of those whispers and will hopefully have a lot more confidence heading into the second half of the season.
Honorable Mentions
Tom Heinemann and Ubiparipovic both had terrific games, particularly in the first half. They paired up well with Ubiparopovic playing just behind Heinemann and scored a lovely goal to open the scoring.
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