Strikers Clinch Playoff Berth with Last Minute Win over Edmonton

The evening in Edmonton was brisk by Florida standards. However, by the end of the evening the Fort Lauderdale Strikers didn’t seem to mind at all as they left Foote Field with a win and three valuable points.

FC Edmonton tried to take the game to the Strikers early. Chris Kooy’s inaccurate header was the match’s first scoring opportunity. In the 14th minute, Ilja Van Leerdam saw his shot saved by Strikers goalkeeper Nic Platter who was making the spot start in place of Matt Glaeser.

Edmonton’s Michael Cox nearly scored but his shot narrowly missed wide. The Eddies continued their attack and in the 16th minute. a Kyle Yamada header was saved by Platter. That attempt came from a corner kick by Shaun Saiko.

At this point of the match Edmonton seemed destined to score as they were winning most of the battles for the ball and were dominant in the air.

The Strikers would have to wait until the 32nd minute to get a good shot on goal. Eduardo Coudet tried his luck from distance after the Strikers were awarded a free kick. In the 38th minute, a header by Cristian Quinones from a Mike Palacio cross missed the far post by inches.

The Strikers would have been content to go into halftime with the score tied at zero. But before the end of the end of the half Edmonton was awarded a free kick. Edmonton’s Paul Hamilton connected with the free kick and headed the ball into the area where it was met by Phil Jonke who would give the home team the lead in the 45th minute.

In the second half, Edmonton was threatening again from a set piece. In the 58th minute, Hamilton saw his header miss the target. The Eddies were left wondering what more they would need to do score the match’s second goal.

Bryan Arguez would be next for the Strikers to try his luck from long range. His shot in the 62nd minute hit the cross bar and bounced out of play. The Strikers began attacking the left flank in the second half and it paid off in the 69th minute. Palacio attempted a shot on goal but it was knocked in by Hamilton for an own goal.

After the Strikers goal the tempo of the game increased but both teams failed to create scoring opportunities in the final third.
In the 86th minute Edmonton made two substitutions giving the team more of an attack. Harry Sinkgraven clearly wanted the three points instead of the draw.

Platter made a game saving stop in the 88th minute. Edmonton’s Shaun Saiko attempted a right footed shot which appeared to be heading into the top right corner. Platter was able to get a hand on it and push the ball above the post.

With so many men in attack, Edmonton was left exposed in defense. While on the counter attack, the Strikers Brian Shriver was able to beat both defender Antonio Rago and goalkeeper Rein Baart. The Edmonton keeper had come out of goal to clear the ball, and Shriver scored the game winner in the 90th minute of play.

“We are proud of the team’s response in the second half after giving up the goal late in the first,” said head coach Daryl Shore. “We battled a good team tonight and fortunately the ball bounced our way. It’s a credit to our entire organization and our goal now is to bring a home playoff game to our fans.”

By the numbers
Edmonton had nine corner kicks to the Strikers two.
Edmonton had eighteen shots on goal to the Strikers six.

Looking ahead
Edmonton travels to Montreal to take on the surging Impact. The Strikers return home to host the Atlanta Silverbacks.

Line-ups:

FC Edmonton: Rein Baart, Antonio Rago, Paul Hamilton, Alex Surprenant, John Jonke, Chris Kooy, Ilja Van Leerdam, Shaun Saiko, Kyle Yamada (Kyle Porter 45), Dominic Oppong (Paul Craig 85), Michael Cox (Daniel Antoniuk 85)

Fort Lauderdale Strikers: Nic Platter, Scott Gordon, Martyn Lancaster, Cristian Quinones, Lance Laing, Bryan Arguez, Eduardo Coudet, Mike Palacio, Yoximar Granado (Martin Nunez 63), Brian Shriver, Abe Thompson (David Santamaria 89)