Harrisburg game cancelled due to weather

WASHED AWAY
Flames game at Harrisburg City postponed
July 23, 2004
by Dylan Butler, Assistant Editor, BigAppleSoccer.com

Mother Nature has once again affected a Westchester Flames game. The Pro Soccer League side’s game at Harrisburg City scheduled for Friday night was postponed because the field was deemed unplayable.

A week ago the Flames lost 3-2 in Charlotte in a game that was halted early because of a second extended lightning delay.

No makeup date has been announced although it appears the game will almost surely have to be played because both teams are fighting for playoff positioning in their respective divisions.

Westchester is 7-6-2, good for second place in the Northern Division while Harrisburg is 6-5-3 but just two points in front of the red-hot Long Island Rough Riders for second place in the Atlantic Division.

The Rough Riders can overcome the Islanders — and do the Flames a favor at the same time — by beating the New Hampshire Phantoms Saturday night at Mitchel Athletic Complex. New Hampshire (9-5-1) leads the Northern Division and is five points in front of the Flames.

Now the Flames second consecutive difficult road trip has turned from back-to-back games to a single game in Pittsburgh Saturday night.

“It’s good in a way because back-to-back games are always very difficult but scheduling another day is going to be tough,” said Flames coach Gus Skoufis. “In back-to-back games you try and use all your players but now we’re going to go with our best because we must win this game.”

The Flames will be without striker Costea Decu, midfielder Roberto Esquivel and defender Laurence Piturro for the game against Pittsburgh (13-2-1), which has already clinched a playoff berth and is undefeated at home this season.

Decu could not make the trip because of a personal commitment, Esquivel is serving a one-game suspension for accumulating 21 disciplinary points and Piturro is serving the second game of a suspension after being sent off for a dangerous tackle in the final moments of the Riverhounds’ 6-2 win over Westchester July 10. Piturro broke the left leg of Pittsburgh striker Granit Caushaj, who scored two minutes earlier.

Skoufis hopes Pittsburgh, which he said has a reputation for rough play at home, isn’t looking for retribution.

“They were aggravated after the game but it wasn’t intentional,” he said. “Laurence is not that kind of player. He’s been playing for 20 years and he’s not a contact player. It was just a freak moment.”

In that game at City Park Stadium, Pittsburgh broke open a game that was tied at 1 at the half to score three goals in a span of 20 minutes to put the game away. Said Ali led the way with three goals.

“We’re maybe going to play more conservative and try to prevent their counter attack and hopefully we don’t make the same mistakes we made the last time,” Skoufis said. “Hopefully we can get a positive result.”

07/24/2004