Ottawa Fury FC gave a full-hearted performance at TD Place in front of a crowd of 4,277, scoring a late equalizer to earn a hard-fought point. Ottawa showed a lot of composure in this match, overcoming falling a goal down and a missed penalty to continue to fight and earn a point at home. If the Ottawa players continue to show the passion and skill they showed vs. San Antonio, then they should be able to finish the Fall Season on a much more positive note than they started with. Ottawa plays next on Saturday in Indianapolis, where they beat Indy Eleven 2-4 away in the Spring Season.



The Opening 45

Tom Heinemann returned to the starting lineup up front, while Romuald Peiser started again in goal for Ottawa. Philippe Davies returned to a starting spot on the right wing in place of Oliver, who picked up an injury in training, while LB Ramon Soria returned to the starting lineup after missing last week through injury. CB Omar Jarun and RB Andres Fresenga were ruled out from the matchday squad due to injuries. The Fury FC started the game strong, pinning the Scorpions in their half for periods of time and getting several chances in the early part of the half. San Antonio played a very rough and fast-paced game which favours their quick counter-attack, led by LM Billy Forbes, while Ottawa attempted to use their possession to slow the game down and assert their tone, working the ball around and getting crosses into Heinemann. However, the attempts at the long ball to find Heinemann up front seemed futile for Ottawa at times, as he was often man-handled and pushed off at the ball by a physical San Antonio defence, marshalled by ex-Whitecap Greg Janicki. Nevertheless, it was perhaps one of the better 45 minutes that Ottawa has played this Fall Season, and it was clear that the possession-oriented tactics of manager Marc Dos Santos were shining through as the Fury FC set the tone, created chances and held back a strong San Antonio team. The half finished without any scoring, but Ottawa went into the locker room confident about their chances for the second half. It's a good thing we ended up tying the game today. Another loss and we would have have changed the @OttawaFury intro to funeral music. — Jon Eden (@Fussball_eh) August 17, 2014

The Second Half

Ottawa started the second half the same way as they ended the first half, with more possession but with few chances, and it was not long before San Antonio crept into the game, creating some good chances and forcing Peiser to make some brave stops. The second half was very physical, producing yellow cards for both sides. San Antonio was lucky to end up with only three yellows for the day, as their harsh tackles, some studs-up, undoubtedly left many Fury players with bruises and knocks this week. San Antonio put on ST Trevin Caesar in the 74th minute, and he broke the deadlock after being on the pitch for only 2 minutes, with a fantastic move around Fury captain Richie Ryan to fire a powerful shot into the top right corner, leaving Peiser with no chance. If it were not for Minnesota ST Cristian Ramirez converting a stunning overhead kick earlier this weekend, Caesar’s goal for San Antonio would have easily been goal of the week, with his shot still rising as it hit the back of the net from 25 yards out. Immediately after the goal, Ottawa brought on ST Vini Dantas and LW P.R. Mayard in succession for RB Ryan Richter and DM Richie Ryan, pushing Davies back to right-back and shifting to a 4-2-4 formation to push for an equalizer. Ottawa was awarded a late lifeline after Scorpions DM Richard Menjivar handled the ball in the box; however, a poorly placed penalty kick by CM Tony Donatelli was stopped by Scorpions keeper Josh Saunders. The Fury FC continued to push for an equalizer and was finally rewarded in the 89th minute, as Heinemann latched onto the end of a beautifully chipped ball through the middle by Dantas, allowing him to break one on one against the keeper and slotting the ball into the bottom right corner of the net, and earned Ottawa a point for the day.



Man of the Match Mason Trafford

The Canadian defender continues to be a solid rock in central defence, standing up to a very strong Scorpions offence. On a day where Ottawa spent much time pushing forward, Trafford proved to be vital in protecting against the counter. Ottawa Fury Line-up

Ottawa (4-3-3) – Peiser; Soria, Trafford, Beckie, Richter (Mayard 83’); Ubiparipovic (Donatelli 65’), Ryan (Dantas 78’), Paterson; Haworth, Heinemann, Davies San Antonio (4-4-2) – Saunders; DeRoux, Janicki, Maund, Borrajo; Forbes, Menjivar (Soto 90’), Castillo, Restrepo; Elizondo (Caesar 74’), Zahorskiea