Firebirds Storm Past Cross Town Rival Washington Adventist, 3-2
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dist. Columbia (2-6-1) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
|
Washington Adventist (2-3-1) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
TAKOMA PARK, MD – Facing a 1-0 deficit at halftime, the University of the District of Columbia men's soccer team dominated the 2nd half, scoring three goals in a span of 7:11 to storm past cross town rival Washington Adventist, 3-2 on Wednesday evening at Shock Field.
The Firebirds, who had lost their last three straight games to one-goal deficits (two in overtime), improved to 2-6-1 with tonight's win. The Shock fell to 2-3-1 overall.
Washington Adventist struck first with an own goal just past the 19-minute mark. UDC senior goalkeeper Louis Connor, 11th in Division II in total saves, was falling back as he attempted to stop a rolling ball during a 1 vs. 1, and his momentum along with the ball crossed the goal line. The Shock would not find the net again until the 80th minute as Connor finished with three saves.
District of Columbia came out in the second half with a vengeance. Just 64 seconds in, senior Moussa Traore (Journalism – Silver Spring, MD/John F. Kennedy HS) found an open Maurice Schwab (Special Education – Vornholz Weg, Germany/Bielefeld University), and the sophomore forward rocketed a shot past WAU goalkeeper Windell Reid for his 2nd goal of the season to force a 1-1 tie.
Later, senior Juan Quintanilla (Business Management – Germantown, MD/Quince Orchard HS) fed classmate Elio Hernandez (Health Education – Germantown, MD/Northwest HS) for the go-ahead goal a little under five minutes after tying the score. The goal was Hernandez's 2nd of the season.
Hernandez then assisted Victor Salinas Furio (Architecture – Valencia, Spain/University Polytechnic of Valencia) for Furio's team-leading 3rd goal of the season. The three goals all came in a span of 7:11 to start the 2nd half.
Ryan Senior scored in the 80th minute to pull WAU within a goal, but it was too little too late as the Shock could not get the equalizer.
This marked the first meeting between these two cross town rivals since the 2010 season when the Firebirds and Shock split games.
Weather permitting, the Firebirds will next host East Coast Conference foe Mercy on Saturday, October 3rd at 2 p.m. The game will be played at Long Bridge Park in Arlington, VA.
