The Daily Graphic - Aeros, Roma battle to draw

BY JOEY PAYEUR
Southport Aeros' Steve Wasyliw, left, tries to avoid the oncoming challenge of Roma Sword S.C.'s Nelson Medeiros during last night's 1-1 tie between the Aeros and Roma at Southport Field.
Staff photo by Joey Payeur

— Cats and dogs, Hatfields and McCoys, U.S. soldiers and Iraqi insurgents.Put some entities together, and there’s bound to be trouble.Such was the case with the host Southport Aeros and visiting Roma Sword S.C., who last night appeared every bit the archrivals they have grown to become during a 1-1 tie at Southport in Manitoba Major Soccer League Second Division action.The officials would have been moonlighting as blackjack dealers if they had dealt out the number of cards that could have been issued in a chippy affair that saw one ejection, a near fistfight, several shoving exchanges and an abundance of verbal barrages between players.“These are two teams that play a similar style,” acknowledged Southport’s Steve Wasyliw, who notched the equalizer in the final minute of the first half to help the Aeros (9-7-3) keep alive a six-game undefeated streak and move into a tie for third in the Second Division with the NKMB Saints at 30 points each. Roma (6-9-5, 23 points) remains in seventh place in the division.“They’re two evenly matched teams,” continued Wasyliw. “I don’t think the referee had bad control of the game.”That sentiment was not shared by Roma’s Shawn Driedzic, who was tossed from the game with his second yellow card in the 42nd minute after being flagged for fouling Aeros’ Duane Chaves from behind.“There’s no way that was a yellow,” steamed Driedzic, who rather than leave the general vicinity after his ejection remained on the Roma bench and bantered spiritedly with Southport players, fans and the officials throughout the second half.“There were way worse things happening out there that weren’t called as yellow cards.”Roma opened the scoring in the 26th minute, when Nelson Medeiros tapped in a perfect crossing pass into the open side of the Southport net past goalkeeper Jay Barber for his second goal of the season.But shortly after Driedzic’s expulsion, the Aeros were awarded a free kick from 25 yards out. Chad Green’s arcing shot was deftly headed into the top right corner of the net behind goalkeeper Jimmy Marnoch by Wasyliw, his 10th of the year.The second half belonged mainly to the Aeros, who did their best to capitalize on their man advantage, but to no avail as tempers continue to boil.Wasyliw and Roma’s leading scorer Joel Carriere nearly came to blows in the 70th minute and had to be separated, after the two collided in pursuit of the loose ball.“We tend to try and even up the rough stuff rather than keep our heads in the game,” admitted Aeros head coach Mitch Walker. “I think we’ve done better with that lately, but we still need to get better.“When both teams are getting upset that calls are not being made, both teams tend to open up and it starts looking more like forechecking in hockey than soccer.”Roma appeared to have the game winner in their grasp in the 73rd minute, as Carriere fed Norm Fay streaking down the middle unchecked.With Carriere’s hands raised in anticipation of a goal, Fay went outside to elude a diving Barber. But with the empty net staring at him, the Roma forward with only two goals to his credit this year blasted a shot that clanged off the right post and bounced away harmlessly.The Aeros return to action on Thursday night in Winnipeg with what is expected to be a depleted line-up due to prior commitments, as they go up against second-place Kildonan Cavaliers (12-5-1, 37 points).“It sounds like we’ll be down a few (bodies),” said Wasyliw. “We’ll just have to see what we can do.”