Ottawa Fury FC's trip to Atlanta ended better than it began but will likely be of little comfort to the club.

Little more than 24 hours after Fury forward Oliver was attacked by a fellow passenger while on a flight from Toronto to Atlanta, Fury turned in a spirited road effort but was forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against the Silverbacks.

Overcoming frayed nerves and a notoriously poor-quality turf at Atlanta Silverbacks Park, midfielder Nicki Paterson scored in his season debut and made a huge defensive play in the second half as Fury looked poised to defend for the win. But a controversial Atlanta goal tied the game in the 57th minute and will do little to halt the debate over the quality of the officiating in the NASL.

An unmarked Canadian Kyle Porter looked to be offside before taking a pass in close and putting the ball into an open net but the goal was allowed to stand despite protests from Fury players.

It was a tough break for Fury who had played a near-perfect road game until that point.

Paterson's free kick from the left side of the Atlanta box in the 34th minute snuck through everyone, including Silverbacks goalkeeper C.J. Cochran, thanks to a well-timed screen by Oliver. It was a big goal for both the team and Paterson, who has spoken repeatedly about wanting to overcome a frustrating and injury-plagued first season with Fury in 2014. The Scotsman was playing his first game of the season after sitting out the opener on a carry-over suspension from last year, sliding into the midfield along with Oliver and Patryk Misik, who continues to show great poise as a 20-year-old playing his second game in the league.

Paterson's goal was made possible by a boot to the face of teammate Branton Poltronieri, who got kicked by Kevin Millar who swung and missed at a high ball, producing a yellow card in the process.

Paterson showed his defensive chops early in the second half, clearing a ball off the goal line after Fury goalkeeper Romuald Peiser made a big save off the initial Atlanta shot.

Ottawa defender Colin Falvey had gone into the referee's book minutes before the foul on Poltronieri, a call that likely won't calm down Fury players already frustrated by the quality of the early-season officiating. Falvey was shown the yellow card on what looked like a fairly harmless attempt to win a header against an Atlanta player.

Peiser was a force in the game, particularly in the second half, as the French keeper made at least four big saves in close, two of them on the same sequence when his teammates couldn't clear the box.

Pitch bits

Fury plays its first home game of the season next Saturday at TD Place and, if all goes to plan, Dos Santos should have his full squad at his disposal with the impending return of captain Richie Ryan, forward Paulo Jr. and midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic. All three are important players for Ottawa but none more so than Ryan, who can expertly control the pace of the game from his spot in the defensive midfield ... There's no goalie in the league better at working the clock than Peiser, who can move incredibly fast or incredibly slowly, depending on the situation. Drives the opposing players, and sometimes the refs, absolutely crazy, but a sign of the veteran goalie's experience ... Tommy Heinemann got his first start of the season and played as a lone striker until the 75th minute when Andrew Wiedeman was added to the mix with Ottawa looking for the go-ahead goal ... Former Silverbacks captain-turned Fury defender Mike Randolph and midfielder Brandon Poltronieri started against their former club. Poltronieri scored Ottawa's lone goal in Week 1 ... Centre back Rafael Alves had good chance to score in the 20th minute, heading the ball just high of the crossbar off a well-struck corner by Paterson. Dos Santos spent much of Thursday's practice working on corners, saying he expected the type of game that could be decided off a set play.

Uncalled for

Oliver played 75 minutes of Saturday's game the day after Friday's scary plane incident and looked to have shaken off the experience. The Brazilian forward had a different type of negative experience with Fury last season when he was caught by an opposing player's elbow during an October game against New York, resulting serious mouth injuries that resulted in a few visits to the dentist ... Dan Mooney and Gordon Smith do a fine job calling the game for Rogers from their Ottawa studio, but the camera placement by the crews in Atlanta was brutal Saturday. The microphone was apparently right next to the loudest and least-clever fan in the place, with the ref usually being his target. Among the gems hurled at the officials? "Hey ref, are you OK?" Good one ... Mauro Eustaquio made his season debut for Fury as a late-game substitute against the Silverbacks.

Twitter: @chrishofley