Links to other sites on the Web
Experience may count for something, but it doesn't appear to be carrying a great deal of weight with the Flash.
San Diego's first-year entry in soccer's A-League won its third straight game last night, 1-0 over the Orange County Zodiac before 3,361 at Southwestern College's Devore Stadium.
The victory moved the Flash (6-4, 18 points) within one point of first-place Orange County (7-5, 19 points) in the A-League's Pacific Division. The Zodiac had blanked San Diego 2-0 in the teams' first meeting of the season three weeks ago, outshooting the Flash 16-9.
But last night's game bore little resemblance to that affair, as the Flash continually peppered Zodiac goalkeeper Mike Littman (0.76 goals-against average) with point-blank shots in the first half.
The breakthrough came in the game's 31st minute when midfielder Nate Hetherington, former UCSD player and CIF-San Diego Section Player of the Year at San Dieguito High, scored off a corner kick by Carlos Farias. Farias' kick, which ricocheted off forward Antonio Robles, was then redirected into the upper left-hand corner of the net by Hetherington, who notched his second goal of the season.
"Some of the teams in this league have been playing together three or four years, but when I looked at the caliber of players we had, I didn't see any reason why we shouldn't be winning," Hetherington said. "But we're still not happy, because we're a better team than our record shows. It's been a little bit of a roller-coaster ride, but that's soccer. I think we're starting to get on the right track now."
Flash goalkeeper Joe Cannon, who has not allowed a goal in 270 minutes, recorded his third straight shutout.
"I think right now we can stay with anybody we play, but I want us to focus on improving in every single game," said coach Ralf Wilhelms. "We haven't finished improving yet."
The Flash, in the midst of a five-game home stand, returns to Devore Stadium on Saturday night to take on the Seattle Sounders.
Links to other sites on the Web
Back to Schedule and Results
Home
Get your own Free Home Page