The Northern Virginia Royals dropped their final match of the 2008 season, falling 4-2 Sunday evening to the Long Island Rough Riders at Tully Field. The Royals twice pulled within a goal of the Rough Riders on the night, only to see the home side counter during the high scoring affair.
With the blustery conditions dictating the flow of play early, both sides struggled to maintain possession under the high, swirling gusts. Long Island surged ahead with two goals midway in the first half, a solid finish by Pavelid Casterada in the 25th minute and a questionable breakaway score from Ben Arikian in the 38th for the 2-0 lead at the break
The start of the second half saw the Royals attack with a pressing sense of urgency. Northern Virginia midfielder Connor Neusel sent a splitting through ball down the right side to streaking teammate Matt Brady. Brady fired to the far side of the Rough Rider goal, resonantly striking the opposite post and falling snuggly into the back of the net.
The Riders reestablished their two-goal advantage within minutes though, as a Northern Virginia move broke down in midfield, and a quick Long Island pass released Patrick Figueredo into the Royals penalty area. Figueredo had little difficulty doubling the Long Island lead in the 50th minute.
A resilient Northern Virginia squad refused to go away quietly, and again moved within a goal in the 56th minute. Royal forward AJ Sheta’s corner kick found defender Brian James who sent a rocketing header untouched into the Long Island net, bringing the score to 2-3 in favor of the home side.
Rough Rider midfielder Danny Kramer finally put the game out of reach for the Royals, scoring in the 71st minute to lead to a 4-2 final.
The Royals finished the 2008 campaign with a 3-8-5 record, with four of the ties coming on away games.
Taken from Staff Reports/usldiscussions.com
The Northern Virginia Royals will return to United Soccer Leagues action in Prince William County next summer, as construction will be completed on their turf field stadium at Hellwig Memorial Park. The 2008 season schedule will be released in late winter/early spring.
