USL News Release

 

Saturday, August 27, 2005

 

LUDLOW, MA -- In a game that opened with a goal in the first minute, the Charlotte Eagles and Western Mass Pioneers finished in the first round of the sudden death penalties to break a 2-2 draw. After falling in last year's final on penalties at home, Charlotte prevailed on the road this time out 5-4 to win the USL Second Division Championship.

Less than a minute into the match, a corner kick gave the visiting Eagles the first chance of the game in Ludlow, Massachusetts and they took advantage. Jonah Long send a corner to the near post where current two-time league MVP Jacob Coggins was all alone to nod in the opening strike and quiet the packed house of 4,722.

Charlotte was shut out by the Pioneers in their two meetings on the season in a 0-0 draw in Charlotte and a 2-0 loss at Lusitano Stadium. 

Ben Johnson made a run up the right side in the 12th minute to send a dangerous cross into the box to Coggins, but the redirection went right to goalkeeper Bryan O'Quinn.

Western Mass had a couple chances on a scramble in the Charlotte box in the 16th minute, but Ben Bingham was unable to get his shot past the Charlotte defenders in the box.

The Eagles broke a period of Pioneers control in the 40th minute when Dustin Swinehart sent a ball from the left side of the box to Ishmael Mintah, who was charging up the middle. Mintah's blast would go right to Western Mass goalkeeper Bryan O'Quinn.

The Pioneers would level the score two minutes before the break courtesy of Omar McFarlane. He collected a poorly cleared cross and watched his shot from 16 yards on the left side toward the far post deflect off Defender of the Year Josh Rife into the goal.

Western Mass made use of the lesson learned from Charlotte in the first minute by scoring a minute into the second half. With everyone on the pitch in a bit of a lull from the break Tony Fernandes charged forward unchallenged with the ball and unloaded a blast to the far post from 27 yards past Goalkeeper of the Year Chris McClellan.

In the 65th minute Ben Bingham broke free on the dribble past a couple defenders on the right side and took the ball into the ball into the box and instead of taking a shot on goal slipped the ball into the middle of the box that did not find anyone to convert on the opportunity.

McFarlane made a charge down the left side in the 74th minute only to hit the outside side netting on a 12-yard shot from the tough angle.

Two minutes later Rife tried to make up for the goal that deflected off him to tie the game with a long shot that took a slight deflection in the box and missed wide.

A series of Charlotte corners at the end of regulation and into stoppage time presented numerous chances for the Eagles to send the match to overtime.

It was a long throw-in from Ben Johnson, however, three minutes into added on time that led to the equalizer as Dustin Swinehart flicked a header at the top of the six on the near side to a wide open Ben Meek at the left corner. Defender Ben Meek calmly blasted his shot on the volley just inside the far post in the final seconds.

Six minutes into overtime McFarlane beat two Charlotte defenders as he drove into the box along the left endline only to see a third back disrupted his shot, which hit the wrong side of the post.

In the 12th minute Swinehart beat two Pioneer defenders on the right side and played a ball into space for Coggins in the box. Coggins sent the ball across the front of the goal just wide of the far post.

Western Mass' Kyle Fletcher, Everson Maciel, Fernandes and Jeff Deren onverted on the first four rounds of the penalty kick tiebreaker along with Charlotte's Swinehart, Coggins, Andy Guastaferro and Ryan DiNunzio.

Anthony Augustine's attempt in the fifth round hit the right post, giving Charlotte's Nate Watkins a chance to win it, but Bryan O'Quinn made the diving save to force sudden death.

David Moya would send his shot from the mark just over the crossbar for Western Mass with the hero in stoppage time stepping up to the spot next for the Eagles. Meek beat O'Quinn to give Charlotte its second USL Second Division title in five championship appearances and was named the USL Second Division Championship Most Valuable Player.

The victory in penalties was redemption for the Eagles, who fell by the exact same scoreline in last year's final. After a 2-2 draw at home against the Utah Blitzz, the Eagles fell in the tiebreaker 5-4 in six rounds. Fifteen of the players on that squad returned to the team this season.

Charlotte won their first championship in 2000 after falling in the 1996 and 1997 finals. Johnson, Swinehart, Watkins and Mark Pinch, who was not in tonight's lineup, were members of the 2000 champions.