Mariners midfielder Steve Shak scored the first goal in the 44th minute on a penalty kick, and Impact captain Mauro Biello scored the equalizer in the 82nd minute.
“It’s sad to have allowed a penalty because everybody saw the ball hitting my chest, but not the referee,” said Mauro Biello. “It’s good to get the tie today because we did not want to lose. It was not easy to play a second game in less than three days. The Mariners didn’t have many scoring chances. As for me, I guess the law of averages was respected and I finally scored here.”
With the tie, the Impact remains in first place in USL D1 standings with 40 points.
The Impact’s seventh draw this season ties a club record set last year.
“It was a very tough game today,” said defender Adam Braz. “With the heat it was hard to play. I don’t think we were as sharp as Friday. Our ball movement was slower but we showed fantastic character. We kept pushing and pushing until we got the goal. Also, we had some good subs that changed the game in the second half.”
“It was a good game overall,” said Impact goalkeeper Andrew Weber. “We came back today so it proves once again that we have character. They were coming at us throughout the game but we never backed down. And they scored on a controversial penalty.”
Impact head coach Nick De Santis was not on the bench due to a one-game suspension following incidents that occurred after Friday’s game. He was replaced by assistant Peter Pinizzotto. Impact midfielder Antonio Ribeiro and defender Mauricio Vincello also missed the game due to cards received Friday.
The Impact will play its next two games against the Rochester Raging Rhinos on Wednesday, August 9 at Claude-Robillard Sports Complex and in Rochester, on Friday August 11, at Paetec Park.
THE GOALS
44th minute – Mariners midfielder Steve Shack scored on a penalty, beating Impact goalkeeper Andrew Weber with a low shot to his right.
82nd minute – After receiving a deep pass from forward Massimo Di Ioia, Biello went in alone on goalkeeper Matt Nelson and beat him with a low, diagonal shot, to his right.
HIGHLIGHTS
13th minute – Impact midfielder Leonardo Di Lorenzo had two consecutive point blank shots but Mariners goalkeeper Matt Nelson made the saves.
14th minute – After a good run on the right wing, Impact captain Mauro Biello took a low shot from 15 yards but the ball hit the post to the right of Nelson and was then cleared by a Mariners defender on the goal line.
42nd minute – On the left flank, Di Lorenzo hit the top of the crossbar with a shot from 10-yards out.
64th minute – After a cross to the first post by midfielder Masahiro Fukasawa, forward Massimo Di Ioia redirected the ball with a header but goalkeeper Matt Nelson deflected the ball over the net.
89th minute – On a Mariners corner, midfielder Steve Shak defected the ball with a header, right on the crossbar.
MISSING FROM THE LINE-UP
Team – Player (Position) – Reason – Status
MTL - Mauricio Vincello (D) – Accumulation of yellow cards – 1-game suspension
MTL - Antonio Ribeiro (M) – Red card and accumulation of yellow cards – 2-game suspension
MTL - Nevio Pizzolitto (D) - Accumulation of yellow cards – last game of a 2-game suspension
MTL - Daniel Antoniuk (F) – concussion - will miss at least 1 week
MTL - Gabriel Gervais (D) – groin - will miss at least 2 weeks
MTL - Greg Sutton (G) - fractured index finger - could return in August
MTL - Jason DiTullio (D) – knee - season over
NEXT GAMES
Wed. Aug. 9 – Rochester @ Impact – Claude-Robillard Sports Complex – 7:30 pm
Frid. Aug 11 – Impact @ Rochester – Paetec Park – 7:35 pm
GAME SUMMARY
//www.impactmontreal.com/Tracker/Tracker.aspx?GameID=28&language=EN
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Source : Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact
Info : 514-328-3668 Ext. 27
