| [2013.07.26 Ottawa, ON] Ottawa Carries 10-Game Unbeaten Streak into Match Against Reading Utd | |
The Fury continue their quest towards the PDL Championship Saturday afternoon in Ocean City when they face Reading United in the Eastern Conference Semifinal. The Fury come into the Conference Championship weekend red hot amidst a 10-game unbeaten streak and have been getting the job done at both ends of the pitch. Reading United (8-1-5) downed Baltimore in last Tuesday's play-in game and are one of the top-five scoring teams in the league. The winner of Saturday afternoon's semifinal will face the winner of Ocean City/Carolina on Sunday night for the Eastern Conference Championship.
Ottawa Fury at a glance:
It has been an impressive run for Stephen O'Kane's
Ottawa Fury over the past month and a half - a 10-game unbeaten run
see's the Fury peaking at the right time as they reach the Eastern
Conference Championship. The streak started June 16 with a 4-1 win over
the Real Boston Rams which is also the last time that the Fury
surrendered a goal - a streak that currently sits at 814 minutes. Chad Bush
has been rock-solid between the pipes for the Fury posting a
league-best 10 shutouts on the season, including nine-straight during
the Fury's hot-streak. His back line the regularly features Shaun Foster and Niko Jelicic in the middle with Artur Piperkov and Jacob VanCompernolle
on the wings has been equally as effective as their keeper. Having only
surrendered just a single goal in their last ten games Ottawa's defence
is composed and ready for their next round of playoff action.
Offensively the Fury have been firing on all cylinders during this
unbeaten run scoring 38 times and emphatically disposed of the GPS
Portland Phoenix in Tuesday's Northeast Division Championship by a 6-0
score. Carl Haworth has led the charge for Ottawa with
13 goals and 9 assists during the hot-streak and has a total of 15 goals
and 12 assists heading into Saturday's match against Reading United. Eddie Jones, Carlo Basso and Loic Miliani have also lifted their game offensively during the streak as has newcomers Andrew Sousa and Abe Keller. The Fury's depth in attacked is very evident having 13 players with at least one goal and 17 players with at least one point. Jacob Barron
has been the engine of Ottawa's midfield and while the score sheets
only credits him with a goal and 4 assists on the season, anyone who
watches the Fury knows the influence that Barron's play has on the Fury
offence..
Reading United at a glance:
On July 14, Reading United got their first taste of defeat in the
third final game of the season as they fell 2-1 to division champs Ocean
City. It has been another impressive season from Reading who find
themselves in familiar territory in the post-season as they, like the
Fury, have beaten opponents at both ends of the pitch. Offensively
Reading United notched 39 goals in the regular season (5th most in the
PDL) while only surrendering 12. Mario Pinto Neto leads the charge with 7
goals and 1 assists, but midfielder Jason Plumhoff is the key to
Reading's attack with 4 goals and 9 assists on the season. These three
were instrumental in Reading's 3-1 extra time win over Baltimore in
Tuesday's play-in game with Neto scoring the opener and Plumhoff setting
up both goals in extra-time.
Match Preview:
Reading might have finished in third place in the their division,
but they are coming out of arguably the strongest division in the PDL so
Saturday afternoon's battle at the Tennessee Avenue Soccer Complex is
sure to be an entertaining one. Ottawa and Reading have only ever met
once before in the post-season with Reading downing Ottawa 3-2 in the
Conference Championship of 2010. Luke Mulholland (now with the NASL's
Tampa Bay Rowdies) and Evan Frimpong (now with the MLS' Sporting KC)
were key factors in Reading's win in 2010. These two teams match-up
incredibly well with depth offensively, sounds defensive play and solid
goalkeeping. One could argue that the Fury had a leg-up on Reading due
to their impressive 10-game unbeaten streak, but Reading United will be a
very prepared side albeit having their hands full looking to contain
Haworth, Jones, Sousa, and Miliani in Ottawa's attack. Another task
Reading will have to address is finding a way to beat Fury keeper Chad
Bush. He has only surrendered one goal all season long and been beaten
since June 16 - a streak of 814 minutes. Just as the Fury have been
doing during their strong form of late the key to victory lies with
strong play on both offence and defence.
The season started with 73 teams vying for the PDL Championship and
after Saturday's semifinals there will be 8 teams remaining and come
late Sunday evening the final four will be known.
By the Numbers:
| Ottawa Fury | Reading United | |
| Regular Season Record | 11-1-2 | 8-1-5 |
| Home vs Away | H: 5-0-2 | A: 6-1-0 | H: 4-0-3 | A: 4-1-2 |
| Goals For/Goals Against (Regular Season) | 40GF 7GA | 39GF 12GA |
| First 7 Games (Record) | 4-1-2 | 5-0-2 |
| Last 7 Games (Record) | 7-0-0 | 3-1-3 |
| Current Streak | 9-0-1 | 1-0-1 |
| Leading Scorer (including playoff points) | Carl Haworth 15G 12A |
Jason Plumhoff 4G 11A |
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