United Fall Just Short In Final Four
8.8.10
PORTLAND - Reading United A.C. wrote a great start to its last match of the summer, but the ending ... well, it could use some work.
Players were beside themselves when the final whistle sounded in a 3-2 loss to the Baton Rouge Capitals in the third-place game of the Premier Development League playoffs Saturday at PGE Park in Portland, Ore.
After seeing his teammates target the left side of the goal, the Capitals’ Ben Callon sent a roller to the right, splashing the shot into the net and ending the penalty-kick shootout and giving his squad the unlikely win.
“We started off great and should have kept it going after we scored,” said Reading forward Luke Mulholland said. “Our plan was to keep possession of the ball, but we spent too much time with it in our own half. One mistake and they are in position to make a threat.”
The finish seemed impossible after the United started with Mulholland making a charge at the goal just 20 seconds into the match. His laser from 15 yards out forced Baton Rouge goalie Joseph Hart to make a diving save.
It wouldn’t take long for Reading to get on the scoreboard. Charles Sapong took care of that with a run down the left side and a shot inside the far post with less than two minutes expired.
Reading dominated the ball so much that its own goalie, Jeremy Vuolo, didn’t put a hand on the ball until near the 10-minute mark.
The United forced Hart into the air several more times to make early saves before Baton Rouge tied the score on a fluke goal in the 25th minute.
Scott McCubbin made a long run into the right corner before crossing a ball into the middle. The pass clipped a crowd of players in front of the net and deflected into the goal.
It didn’t stay tied for long. Three minutes later, Sapong and Levi Aquilas Houapeu pin-balled a couple passes inside the 18-yard box before Mulholland raced onto the scene for the putaway from about 12 yards out.
The United had numerous chances to increase the margin, including Mulholland and Tyler Witmer each putting hard shots over the net.
Baton Rouge went on to score in stoppage time to deadlock the game heading into the intermission.
“It was very quiet in the locker room,” Mulholland said. “Giving away the lead twice like that. I don’t know if we had no desire to defend or if it was fatigue playing the last game of the year.”
The teams spent most of the second half battling in the midfield, although each side had chances to win in regulation.
Baton Rouge had the first opportunity when Callon drew a foul on the edge of the 18-yard box only to see his penalty shot ding the crossbar.
Reading appeared ready to finish the match in the 80th minute when Mulholland took a foul to his legs while trying to set up a play at the top of the box. The ensuing free kick deflected off the wall and went wide of the mark.
The United also came up empty on a pair of corner-kick chances over the next minute.
Reading advanced to the penalty shootout when Vuolo made a diving save on a dangerous bouncer to the near post and sprawled to cover it in a crowd in stoppage time.
League rules called for the game to skip overtime and go straight into penalty kicks.
In Friday’s semifinal, Reading dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker to the unbeaten Portland Timbers despite tying it late in the match.
Trailing 1-0, Reading broke through in the 74th minute when Sapong sent a ball into the middle and Houapeu ran onto it about 15 yards out and banged it home.
Richard Abrego carried the ball in close before darting it over to Freddie Braun, who buried it in the corner for the winning goal for Portland in the 75th minute.
Written by Reading Eagle correspondent David Ball
Link: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=240196
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