WILMINGTON, N.C. (September 7, 2016) – In the first game of a four-game road trip, Orlando City B (8-11-8, 32 points) fell 3-0 to the Wilmington Hammerheads (7-11-9, 30 points) Wednesday night at Legion Stadium. OCB remains in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 32 points with three games left in the regular season.
“I thought we did okay first half. All of the things that we knew we were going to have to deal with, I thought we did well with. We went into the half pretty comfortable. Second half we weren’t good enough. It shows the fine margins involved in this game,” OCB Head Coach Anthony Pulis said. “The positive is it’s still in our hands. We’re still two points clear so we know we’re going to have to pick some points up. We can’t rely on other people. We get some time to dust ourselves off and go again on Sunday.”
The Lions made it a defensive battle in the first half with strong defensive play and dangerous opportunities on the attack. Wilmington midfielder Jeff Michaud opened the scoring in the 49th minute, though, and defender Bruno Perone added two goals in a span of eight minutes to seal the win for Wilmington.
The Lions put forth a strong defensive effort in the first half to enter the break level. Defenders Zach Hayden and Kyle McFadden laid out to block two shots inside the box in the 11th minute. On the attacking end, Johnny Mendoza fired a shot wide in the 13th minute. Tyler Turner, who started in midfield for the Lions Wednesday night, served a corner kick up to Kyle McFadden but the Irishman’s header went just over the bar.
Wilmington turned up the pressure in the first 15 minutes of the second half. Matt Barnes-Homers settled a cross from the left side around the penalty spot and calmly laid the ball off for Michaud, who sent a low shot through a crowded box to beat a diving Mark Ridgers at the far post.
Wilmington’s Jermie Lynch won a penalty just a minute after coming on as a substitute after a sliding challenge from McFadden. Perone slotted home the penalty kick in the 71st minute. The Brazilian defender scored again in the 78th minute for his team-leading eighth goal of the season.
The match featured MLS players Turner, Conor Donovan and Richie Laryea, as well as a substitute appearance from Devron García who replaced Antonio Matarazzo after a collision in the 23rd minute.
OCB will continue its season-ending four-game road trip when it goes to Toronto on Sunday, Sept. 11, for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. The Lions then head to Cincinnati on Sept. 17 before closing out the regular season Sept. 25 at Bethlehem.
Tickets to all OCB home matches are available at OrlandoCityB.com or by calling 855-ORL-CITY. Follow the latest Orlando City news and updates via Facebook, Twitter,Instagram and YouTube.
Scoring Summary:
WIL - Jeff Michaud (Barnes-Homer) 49’
WIL- Bruno Perone (PK) 71’
WIL - Bruno Perone (Liam Miller) 78’
Misconduct Summary:
WIL - Zev Taublieb (Yellow Card) 45’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City B - GK Mark Ridgers, D Conor Donovan, Kyle McFadden, Craig Nitti, Zach Hayden, M Johnny Mendoza, Antonio Matarazzo (Devron Garcia 24’), Andrew Ribeiro, Tyler Turner (Alejandro Garcia 83’), Richie Laryea (Keegan Smith 74’), F Michael Cox
Substitutes: GK Jake Fenlason
Wilmington Hammerheads - GK John Smits, D Michael Mecham, Bruno Perone, Ashani Fairclough, Peabo Doue, M Zev Taublieb (Logan Miller 88’), Tom Parratt, Jeff Michaud (Justin Moose 77’), Liam Miller, F Matt Barnes-Homer (Jermie Lynch 68’)’, Kyle Parker (Austin Martz 75’)
Substitutes: GK Eric Ati, D Ferrety Sousa, Stefan Defregger
Details of the Game
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Sunny
Attendance: 1,073
September 7, 2016
Stats:
Shots:
OCB - 7
WIL - 9
Saves:
OCB - 2
WIL - 1
Corners:
OCB - 2
WIL - 6
