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Stuart Mactaggart ,

April 26, 2015 Email

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Ottawa Fury fell 3-1 at home to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on Saturday afternoon, their second 3-1 loss in four days, and their third so far this season. In what was supposed to be an improved defensive line for this season, including the additions of Alves, Falvey and Randolph at the expense of Beckie and Trafford, Ottawa Fury have been opened up defensively on multiple occasions so far this year and it has cost them dearly.



On Wednesday night FC Edmonton were able to score three goals in ten minutes and secure a vital away win in the Amway Canadian Championship following a solid 80 minutes by Ottawa, while on Saturday the Strikers were able to put three past Peiser as Fury once again squandered several key scoring chances. Although captain Richie Ryan has been absent from the line up for the majority of this season, it seems the team is lacking the confidence to finish their chances.



Fury lined up much the same as they did against Minnesota last weekend, with Randolph, Falvey, Alves and Richter forming the back four, and Paterson and De Guzman in the holding midfield positions. Oliver sat in the attacking midfield position, just behind striker Heinemann, while Haworth and Paulo Jr started on the wing. Marc Dos Santos was absent from the match for personal family reasons, meaning that assistant coach Martin Nash took over the coaching position, while technical director Phil Dos Santos took over the assistant job.



The Opening 45



Fury nearly started the match the same way they did on Wednesday, however Paulo Jr’s second minute shot hit the crossbar after the Brazilian curled in a shot just over the keeper from inside the box. Ottawa nearly scored again in the 8th minute as a Randolph cross deflected off a Strikers’ player and perfectly played Heinemann in on goal, however keeper Joe Nasco was able to make the save. Nasco injured his ankle on the play and Fort Lauderdale had to make an early substitution, putting their third keeper Lionel Brown in net.



Paulo Jr continued to create many of the chances early on, including stripping Shawn Chin of the ball and running it down the wing, past a defender and delivered a dangerous cross. Fury seemed to be controlling the half early on, however the Strikers slowly worked their way into the match. Just before the half the Strikers earned a corner kick and Angulo was able to pick a loose ball on the edge of the six yard box to give Fort Lauderdale a 1-0 lead.



The Second Half



Ottawa seemed to lose their edge after going down a goal and weren’t the same team in the second half. Fort Lauderdale took control of the game and had lions share of both possession and the number of chances. In the 64th minute Fort Lauderdale midfielder Freitas scored the goal of the week when he was able to play a nice one two with Phino and send a rocketing shot into the top corner of Fury’s net from 30 yards out.



Fury were able to slowly work their way back into the game and were able to grab a goal back after Ubiparipovic delivered the perfect out-swinging corner kick for the towering Rafael Alves to head home. The goal certainly sparked new life in Ottawa and they pushed everything forward to try and find and equalizer. At times it seemed as though they may just make the come back to earn a point on the day, however after committing everyone forward in injury time, Fury were caught on the counter attack by Fort Lauderdale, and Angulo scored his second of the matching after a one on one with Peiser.



Following the match, assistant coach Martin Nash said “I think missed opportunities have been hurting us all year, and we created a ton of chances today”. He continued “They got one off the corner which we talked about before the game, having to win the set piece battle. They are a small team with four guys back, and for us to concede, that goal was heartbreaking to come into the half one nil down.”



On the squandered chances, Nash said “We keep scoring every game, but one goal a game isn’t enough in this league and you have to put that second chance away. The guys put a great amount of effort in and created enough chances to get back into the game, but they just weren’t able to finish the chances.”



Nash will once again coach the squad on Wednesday night when they take on FC Edmonton in the second leg of the Amway Canadian Championship, as Marc Dos Santos will be serving a single match ban after being the recipient of a red card post match on April 22nd. Fury will require at least three goals this upcoming Wednesday if they look to advance in the Amway Canadian Championship.