Flames take win in first leg of weekend trip

Wilmington, NC - 07/17/2004 - The Westchester Flames defeated the Wilmington Hammerheads 2-1 Friday night, in a rematch of last year's national championship matchup. This victory gives the Flames a sweep of the series between the two teams in 2004, with the Flames having won 2-0 on June 12, in New Rochelle, NY.

With the Hammerheads focusing all their attention on Flames leading scorer Evaud Thompson, they left Julio Nosta wide open. Nosta made the most of his first major road trip with the team and gave the Flames the lead only 10 minutes into the game. Thompson provided the assist. This quieted the crowd of 2513.

In the 17th minute, Wilmington got the crowd back into the match as Warren Ukah took a ball from George Corrie and got it past Flames goalkeeper Guillermo Valencia. Already having had the crossbar save one certain goal, Valencia was unable to stop this shot.

The score remained tied until the 29th minute, when Nosta was again left alone on the left side of the field. This time, he teamed up with Alex Tobon-Villa who neatly threaded a pass to Nosta who put it between the legs of Wilmington goalkeeper Billy Platz.

With the Flames up 2-1, the Hammerheads poured on the pressure. Thirteen shots in the first half only required Valencia to make two saves. In the second half, the shots became more accurate, as eleven shots commanded four saves.

For Nosta, this game was like a dream. He said, "I still can't believe it happened. They just left alone and I was able to take advantage."

Knowing all along that the Flames could win this match, head coach Gus Skoufis said, "I had no doubt that we would win this match. When that second goal went in, I just felt it was ours."

Newcomer Oliver Gonzalez fit nicely into the backline, replacing Piturro this game, and ultimately replacing Mersim Beskovic for the remainder of the season. Taking a half to get a feel for the flow of the team, he stepped it up in the second half, easily covering the backline and helping to thwart each Hammerhead attack as it began to build.

The Flames, 7-5-2, 23 points, must now face the Charlotte Eagles. The team has high expectations after this victory. They will not be satisfied without a North Carolina sweep.

Match Report

Wilmington 1 :: 2 Westchester Lineups:
Westchester: Guillermo Valencia, Mario Gallo, Frank Gizzo, Danny Parkin, Oliver Gonzalez, Juan Carlos Gomez (Julian Kapaj 81), Fredy Nava, Roberto Esquivel, Julio Nosta (Wanderson Oliveira 72), Alex Tobon-Villa (Daniel Ribeiro 89), Evaud Thompson

Wilmington: Billy Platz, Brady Bryant, Tim Karalexis, Kevin Nylen, Paul Chase (Ryan Miller 72), Kenny Bundy, Dan Capecci, George Corrie (Joe McNabb 23), Mark Draycott (Junior Zarate 56), Warren Ukah (Chris Begley 61), Glen Murray

Scoring Summary

WFL: Julio Nosta (Evaud Thompson) 10
WIL: Warren Ukah (George Corrie) 17
WFL: Julio Nosta (Alex Tobon-Villa) 29
Discipline

WIL: 5th minute, Mark Draycott - caution (unsporting behavior)
WFL: 25th minute, Frank Gizzo - caution (unsporting behavior)
WFL: 64th minute, Alex Tobon-Villa - caution (persistent infringement)
WIL: 87th minute, Brady Bryant - caution (unsporting behavior)

Match Statistics

(WIL::WFL)
Shots 24::6, Saves 3::6, Corner Kicks 7::2, Fouls 15::16, Offsides 3::0

Attendance: 2513

Officials:
Referee: Michael Hill
AR 1: Pablo Ribadeneira
AR 2: Patrick Whitman
4th: Tacettin Canel

07/17/2004