FORT LAUDERDALE – With more than 1,300 tickets sold today, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers have announced the largest ticket sales day of the season. The record comes a day before the Strikers face the NSC Minnesota Stars on the road at NSC Stadium in the first leg of the NASL Championship Series on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 8:30p.m.
The largest contributors to the record-setting day were local youth soccer clubs Weston FC, West Pines United, Plantation Eagles, and Boca United. Each club has purchased at least 200 tickets to make the Strikers’ Youth Club Initiative a success.
“Any time you get the chance to play for a championship you have to be excited,” said Strikers head coach Daryl Shore. “We have to continue to have a good week of training because we’re facing a tough team. I think you’re seeing a match-up of the two hottest teams in the NASL and it should be an exciting series.”
The Strikers are 2-0-2 (W-L-T) this season against the Stars with a 1-1 tie and a 1-0 win at NSC Stadium. The Strikers’ goals in those two games were scored by Eduardo Coudet and Martin Nunez, respectively.
The Strikers are full of confidence after becoming the first team to defeat Puerto Rico at the Islanders’ home stadium in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Fort Lauderdale beat the Islanders 3-1 and returned home to Lockhart Stadium for the second leg of the semifinal where they won by a final of 2-1 to advance to the NASL Championship Series. The five goals in the two legs matched the five scores the Strikers had in their opening round win against FC Edmonton.
Strikers forward Brian Shriver leads all playoff scorers with five goals in the post season. The Strikers have scored 10 goals and allowed two in their three playoff matches. Fort Lauderdale goalkeeper Matt Glaeser has a 0.67 GAA in the playoffs with nine saves.
In their two seasons of play, the NSC Minnesota Stars are 0-3-3 (W-L-T) against the Strikers. The Stars enter the championship series after dispatching the league’s regular season champion, the Carolina RailHawks, in the semifinals. After a 1-0 win at NSC Stadium in the first leg, the Stars lost 4-3 in Carolina, taking the aggregate score in the series to 4-4. After a scoreless 30-minute extra time period, the Stars prevailed 5-3 on penalty kicks to move on to the final series.
The NASL Championship Series is contested over two legs (Oct. 22 and Oct. 29) and is decided based on aggregate goals. In the event of the teams being level after both games, a 30 minute extra time period (no golden goal) will ensue. If the teams are still locked in a draw following the extra time period, the winner will be determined by a penalty shootout.
Last Time Out
After winning the first leg of the series 3-1 against the Islanders in Puerto Rico, the Strikers returned home to Lockhart Stadium with a two-goal advantage.
The breakthrough came for Fort Lauderdale in the 19th minute when forward Brian Shriver finished a chipped pass from midfielder Walter Restrepo. The Islanders equalized after halftime in the 56th minute through midfielder David Foley, who tucked the ball into the net after some congestion in the area following a corner kick.
Just three minutes later, Brian Shriver responded with his second of the night after running by the Islanders defense and slotting the ball into the net. It was his fifth goal of the playoffs, and gave the Strikers a 2-1 lead on the night. The Islanders tried to reduce the deficit by bringing on attacking options off the bench, but the Strikers defense could not be breached.
Goalkeeper Matt Glaeser put in a fantastic performance and made several crucial plays en route to the team securing a spot in the NASL Championship Series for the first time in club history.
2011 PLAYOFF STATISTICS
Goals: Brian Shriver (5)
Assists: Lance Laing, Mike Palacio (2)
Shots: Brian Shriver (12)
Yellow cards: Brian Shriver (2)
Red cards: none
Saves: Matt Glaeser (9)
NEXT UP
The final game of the 2011 NASL season will be played at Lockhart Stadium, one of the most historic soccer stadiums in the United States. The game will be on Saturday, Oct. 29, at 7:30p.m. The game will decide the winner of the NASL Championship Series. Immediately following the conclusion of the game, the runners-up will be awarded medals by the NASL Commissioner and the champions will be awarded the NASL Championship Trophy.
