P osted by

Stuart Mactaggart ,

August 16, 2015 Email

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Ottawa Fury’s twelve game unbeaten streak came to an end on Saturday evening as they fell 2-1 to Minnesota United. Fury had won five in a row and were looking to make it a thirteen game unbeaten run with a win or a draw, but a late Daniel Mendes free kick would give United the win and hand Fury their first loss since May 2nd.



Fury have found a lot more consistency in their starting eleven over the course of the fall season, with stability at the back and through the midfield, and a strong rotation of forwards to choose from. The back four remain unchanged, as it has since May, while leading NASL Golden Glove contender Romuald Peiser started in goal.



With Julian De Guzman still out injured for at least another two weeks, Mauro Eustaquio starting alongside Richie Ryan and Sinisa Ubiparipovic in the midfield. Tom Heinemann started up front, with Wiedeman and Oliver joining him on the wings. Heading into the match Heinemann had scored in his last three appearances vs Minnesota, while Wiedeman scored two goals vs Indy Eleven last week.



The Opening 45



Things started off fairly physical between the two squads, with Calvano picking up a yellow early on for United, and Oliver for Ottawa. Fury nearly took the lead in the fifteenth minute as Ryan Richter nearly connected with and Oliver cross, but his shot was stopped by Hildebrantd.



United took the lead in the seventeenth minute as Christian Ramirez would capitalize on a rare Rafael Alves error and slot home his seventh goal in seven games. Minnesota controlled much of the play throughout the half while Fury created more of the dangerous chances. Heinemann and Wiedeman both had great scoring opportunities but were denied the equalizers.



The Second Half



Ottawa Fury started off much stronger in the second half as they continued their search for an equalizer. It looked as though they had found it in the sixtieth minute as United keeper Hildebrandt caught a Ryan Richter cross before landing on top of Heinemann, rolling the ball into his own net, however the referee called the play back as a foul against the keeper.



Fury continued to create most of the dangerous scoring chances, and they were rewarded in the seventy-third minute as an Ubiparipovic shot was blocked and Andrew Wiedeman was able to find the rebound inside the six yard box and slot away the shot. The goal seemed to spur Fury forward as they looked as though they were going to find the go ahead goal on several occasions.



In the ninety-fourth minute United would earn a free kick from roughly thirty yards out, and substitute Daniel Mendes would put away the direct shot to rescue all three points for the away team. Dos Santos and the rest of the squad were noticeably disappointed with the officiating and will feel as though poor decisions have once again cost Ottawa points, however they will put it behind them as they still retain a five point lead ahead the Fall Standings and continue to be favourites to make a post season appearance this year.



Fury will continue host the New York Cosmos next on August 26th, before the Rowdies visit on the 29th. These two matches could make or break the Fury’s combined season run as wins will keep them in the hunt, dropping points could be costly. The Fall Season standings are a bit more for the taking from Ottawa’s perspective, but winning six points in the next two matches will be a priority for Fury in the coming two weeks.



Man Of The Match



Andrew Wiedeman



Andrew Wiedeman scored his third goal in two matches and gave Fury a lifeline with less than twenty minutes left. The American striker is finding himself in the right positions to create chances and has found his finishing touch.