This is Cosmos Country Blog — August 25, 2013 at 5:43 pm

Home Sweet Home: Recap & Highlights

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Hempstead, NY - After two straight road matches where the Cosmos failed to produce a single goal, they returned home to Hofstra Stadium. Strengthened by the crowd support of 6,852 fans, New York regained their swagger and defeated the winless San Antonio Scorpions 2-1 on Saturday night.

In a match that featured brilliant performances by both goalkeepers, the Cosmos Kyle Reynish managed to walk away with the win over his Scorpions counterpart, Patrick Hannigan. Both players throughout the match thwarted and swatted away potential goals from their oppositions. In the

In the 42nd minute of the first half, Cosmos attacking midfielder, Diomar Diaz gave New York a 1-0 lead with his unassisted strike from 16-yards out. Shaking and baking several defenders, Diaz penetrated inside the box where he passed to Ayoze who was tackled by Scorpions defender Greg Janicki.

With the ball moving towards Diaz, he cautiously tapped the ball and rocketed it past Scorpions goalkeeper Patrick Hannigan. Moments later, Scorpions striker Hans Denissen would have leveled the match at one apiece had he properly handled a well-placed pass from his teammate Lyle Martin. With the Cosmos defenders swarming Denissen, he turned the ball over and the Cosmos were able to go into the half with a 1-0 advantage.

In the second half, New York had a chance to pull the game away when Scorpions Greg Janicki was sent off in the 52nd minute for earning his second yellow card for a tackle from behind on Diaz. Rather than take advantage of the 10-man Scorpions squad, the Cosmos allowed them back in the match when Tomasz Zahorski hammered home a cross from Lyle Martin at the back post in the 65th minute.

As both goalkeepers continued with their pitchers duel making save after save, it appeared this match was headed for a frustrating 1-1 draw. Then in stoppage, the Cosmos answer came in the form of Henry Lopez. Entering the match in the 71st minute, 21-year-old Guatemalan scored the game-winning goal in the second minute of stoppage time for a Cosmos dramatic win.

With the much needed victory, the 2-1-1 Cosmos claim sole possession of second place. They only trail the NASL leaders, the undefeated Carolina RailHawks. In order for the Cosmos to contend against Carolina, the Cosmos needs to attack and defend inside the box better. It’s understandable the players are adjusting to each other’s style but with the Spring Season a short season, time is against them.

Next up for the Cosmos is their third road match in a month as they head out to face FC Edmonton on Sunday, September 1st. With the 4pm match taking place at Clarke Stadium, the Cosmos need to earn another win in order to keep pace with Carolina.

2 Comments

  1. Glad to see all those headers Senna and Kashiwase did in the Heads Up Challenge paid off on that second goal. Go Cosmos!

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