NSC Minnesota Stars Break Winless Streak Against Atlanta Silverbacks

Photo by Jeremy Olson - www.digitalgopher.net

Early in the season the NSC Stars gained a reputation of being a difficult team to play against at home. The Minnesota league-owned team with one of the lower player budgets in the league would put in yeoman’s work and fight for results. However, that work effort and ability to keep games close at home had failed the Stars over the last month and half. So Saturday evening at the NSC Stadium, the 2,435 supporters who enjoyed a near perfect early September evening with temperatures in the low 80′s were treated to a team with work habits of old. They watched their Stars get a result and 3 vitally important points. With the 2-0 win, the Stars broke their 7-game winless streak against the lowly Atlanta Silverbacks and went 6 points clear of Montreal for the 6th and final playoff spot. The game winner was scored by Jeff Cosgriff in the 12th minute.

“It was a huge win. When you were playing so well as we did early in the year and then you hit a rut like we did, everything here on the field tonight was stressful,” said Stars head coach Manny Lagos. “I think you felt that as a fan and I felt it too as a coach. Tonight I think the guys on the field did a great job of saying we’re going to put the effort on the field, were going to make sure things are locked down defensively and we’ll control what we can.”

The Stars 2 goals Saturday evening nearly equaled their total of goals (3) for the last seven matches while they went 0-6-1.

Jeff Cosgriff, who has filled in at several attacking positions this year for the Stars, got the team off on the right track in the 12th minute with a solo effort. Cosgriff broke his mark in former Minnesotan Moussa Toure (brother of Ansu Toure and step brother to Keido Pour) and got beyond Atlanta keeper Jimmy Mauer. The move brought him to a tight angle left of goal. With little options and tight marking Cosgriff dribbled back towards the top of the box and made several cuts. It looked like the left outside midfielder may have held the ball too long but he eventually unleashed a low strike to the far post to put Minnesota up 1-0.

“Some times goal scoring is a combination of intensity and being relaxed in front of goal,” said Lagos. “We had some other chances in the game were we were a little tight but that one Jeff said, no. I’m going to make sure and take this in a way that I’m confident with. He did that and got the result.”

Minnesota thought they had taken a 2-0 lead in the 22nd minute off a corner kick that defender Cristiano headed into the net. But the goal was called back claiming the Brazilian central defender had pushed off his mark.

Minnesota finally got an insurance goal in the 84th minute when Anthony Hamilton drove in a corner that Atlanta had a difficult time dealing with. The ball bounced into Silverback defender Willie Hunt’s chest and caromed off his arm. Referee Landis Wiley blew his whistle and pointed to the spot giving Minnesota a penalty kick. Captain and central defender Kyle Altman stepped up to the spot but not before Atlanta continued to delay the game and try to move the ball off the spot where Altman had placed the ball. The Silverbacks antics earned Willey Hunt a yellow. Altman eventually stepped up and slotted his kick past Mauer for the 2nd goal of the evening for the Stars.

Both Jeff Cosgriff for his goal and Brian Cvilikas were named IMSoccer News Man of the Match. While Cvilikas didn’t score, his untiring work as a target player, particularly in the second half when the Silverbacks defenders continued to foul the Minnesota forward, earned him praise from his coach as one of the best efforts of any player in the last several years.

“We knew we had to come out here at get three points,” said Cvilikas after the game. “We’re chasing the playoffs, it’s our last home game and we had to put everything on the line, regardless if it was ugly. It was about getting into a good starting position and trying to get my body between the ball and the man. The formation we’re playing now allows players to get creative and get in behind me so we can build up our attack. That’s my job first and foremost.”

“That’s what a strikers effort should be like,” said Lagos. “You have to go out saying I’m going to make it hard on the other team for 90 minutes. I don’t think there was a play he took off the whole night in terms of battling for the ball, putting stress on their defense and really giving us a chance to get forward and get chances. I think it was one of the more impressive performances by an individual player that I’ve seen in the last couple of years here in Minnesota.”

“I was proud of the guys tonight because I think it was a good response to some games recently where we put an effort in part of the game but not a full ninety minutes,” concluded Lagos.

For those Minnesota Stars fans who made it out to the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn., for the game early, they were treated to a pregame scrimmage between former Minnesota professional soccer players. Former members of the Minnesota Kicks, Thunder and Stars lined up against each other and treated the 500 plus fans who watched a fun and memorable match.  Those same players signed autographs after the game allowing Minnesota soccer fans to get autographs from Minnesota soccer legends such as Donny Gramenz, Gerard Lagos, Pierre Morice Tony Sanneh and Alan Willey.