P osted by

Stuart Mactaggart ,

April 5, 2015 Email

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Ottawa Fury struggled to earn any points in their first game of the 2015 season, as they fell 3-1 in Carolina. Dos Santos had put a lot of emphasis on a winning mentality, with Fury going 4-1-0 in their preseason, and there’s no doubt that Fury coach will feel hard done by with Saturdays result.



The Fury were missing several key players through injury or suspension, with the likes of Oliver, Ryan, Ubiparipovic and Paterson all out for the match. This meant that Julian De Guzman was given the start in the midfield alongside Canadians Patryk Misik and Drew Beckie. The back four set up as expected, with Ryan Richter starting on the right, Rafael Alves and Colin Falvey in the middle and Mike Randolph on the left. Following a great preseason performance, as well as the suspension to Oliver, Canadian winger Carl Haworth was given the start up alongside offseason acquisitions Paulo Jr and Andrew Wiedeman.



The Opening 45



Carolina took the lead early on through a Shipalane cross that somehow found the back of the net in the 12th minute. Andrew Wiedeman won Fury a penalty not long after, giving Ottawa an opportunity to get right back into the game, however Haworth’s penalty was stopped when Railhawk’s keeper Gilstrap dove the right way.



Without any hesitation, Carolina worked the ball down the pitch and were able to earn themselves a penalty kick, although it appears that Drew Beckie’s challenge occurred outside the box. Nacho Novo converted the penalty to double the Railhawks lead.



The Second Half



The second half was a much different story for Ottawa as they came charging out the gates, gaining control of the game and creating chances. Both Haworth and Paulo Jr worked very well down the wings, with left back Richter providing several crosses into the box. Haworth had Gilstrap beaten with a fantastic shot however it went off the upright and managed to stay out of the net.



As the game wore on, Dos Santos introduced Tom Heinemann, giving Fury fans a chance to see both Wiedeman and Heinemann in action together. Brandon Poltronieri was brought on late into the game and made an immediate impact on the match, heading home a Paulo Jr cross with his first touch of the ball to give Ottawa Fury a lifeline.



Fury continued to put pressure on Carolina and looked as though they had it in them to find an equalizer late on. Fury were controlling the play and creating chances when Julian De Guzman was brought down in the middle of the pitch, and with the ref not calling the foul Carolina were able to easily run the ball into the Fury end and score their 3rd goal of the game. De Guzman was subsequently sent off following his protest to the Carolina goal.



The Fury coaching staff were visibly upset with the official’s decisions on the final goal and will no doubt feel as though they were hard done by. Although Fury lost the game, there are several positives to take away from the match. Fury controlled much of the second half, and the likes of Haworth, Richter and Paulo Jr all had impressive performances. Fury will head to Atlanta next weekend before they host Minnesota in their home opener on April 18th



Man Of The Match



Carl Haworth

Carl Haworth, despite missing the penalty, had an outstanding game and has certainly shown an incredible amount of growth during the off season. He will be upset not to have got on the score sheet, but Haworth is certainly one of the young Canadians to watch in Ottawa this year

Honorable Mentions



Ryan Richter provided a ton of options down the right win and overlapped well with Paulo Jr, with the Brazilian setting up the Fury’s only goal. Both deserve honorable mentions.