Furious goal exchange results in tie for Aeros - PORTAGE DAILY GRAPHIC

BY RYAN DIXON
Thursday June 16, 2005

SOUTHPORT — For a long time, it looked as though Southport Aeros would do well to draw against United F.C. As it turns out, a tie was a bit of a tough pill to swallow.After a late-game goal flurry last night on the pitch at Southport Recreation Centre, the Aeros and United concluded their Manitoba Major Soccer League Second Division game in a 2-2 draw.Southport (2-1-1), which trailed 1-0 for the majority of the game, finally broke through in the game’s late stages, as midfielder Danny Brooks (second of the season) wired a shot from outside the 18-yard box past United keeper Julio Acuna and inside the left post to square the affair.Minutes later, the Aeros were back for more as forward Ian McCallister showed some deft touch by redirecting a pass into the United net for his first of the campaign for what looked like the game winner.But the visitors weren’t ready to go home empty-handed just yet.Just as it appeared Southport was going to be able to run out the waning minutes on the clock, F.C.’s Roland Magne used his upper-body to nudge the ball past Aeros goalie Bill Maluzynsky from in tight.All of a sudden a game that should have been a dead issue was once again a draw, according to Brooks.“It shouldn’t have been that close,” the player-coach assessed.“We had plenty of chances to put these guys away.”Robert Thompson, who fills the role of player-coach for United (2-1-1), said despite the fact his club led most of the game, F.C. will take their tie with a smile.“I’ll take that point,” he said.“I think these guys were better physically fit than we were. Honestly, I think it showed a little bit. In the beginning of the game, we took it to them and then after that it changed. In the second half, they were really dominating the game.”The Aeros actually dominated the match’s early stages, but Chris Carson fired wide on a breakaway and a sizzling boot from Darren Reichert struck the crossbar, preserving each team’s goose egg.United seized the momentum shortly after Brooks, who questioned the legitimacy of the call, was nailed for an infraction inside the 18-yard box.Whether it was a fortuitous break or not, F.C.’s Josh Raizman found the mark on the resulting penalty kick, and United carried the play into the halftime hiatus.“We still should have been up by about three goals in the first half,” said Brooks, referring to his squad’s ferocious start.“We had the pressure on them and the more the game went on, the more confidence they got. And the more they started playing, the more we started panicking.”If the Aeros want to prevent future wins from dissipating into ties, the squad must start to put the body in motion.“The biggest thing is we’re standing around,” remarked Brooks.“We’re waiting for something to happen instead of going out and moving into space. You’re easy to mark when you’re standing still.”The tie moved both teams into second place with seven points, three back of division leader F.C. Lusitania (3-0-1, 10 points).Southport travels to Winnipeg to take on Kildonan Cavaliers on Monday.The Aeros’ next home game is on June 26, when they host Selkirk at 7 p.m. at Southport Recreation Centre.