Brilla Earns Draw with Laredo in Rain Shortened Match

LAREDO, Tex. - Mississippi Brilla and the Laredo Heat opened their Premier Development League seasons on Saturday in Laredo. The teams played to a scoreless tie in the first half, and then the weather took over. After a lengthy delay, officials were forced to terminate the match, ending the contest in a 0-0 draw. Both teams earn a point for the tie and both start the season with a 0-0-1 record.

The entire half was played at a pretty slow pace as both teams seemed to be getting a feel for each other in the first match of the PDL season. The Heat controlled the majority of the possession in the half, but had few chances on goal. Those chances were all controlled by the Brilla goalkeeper, Josh Christensen.

Brilla seemed to have trouble stringing passes together, but had a couple of scoring opportunities when the ball found the feet of striker Kellen Gulley. Other than a few dangerous corners, Brilla was content to play the first half with low pressure.

“Every team wants to compete, and of course come away with an opportunity to win a game,” said Brilla General Manager Rusty Bryant. “But the officials made the right call by ending the game. The weather was dangerous, and there was no reason to risk injury to the players, coaches, and officials.”

The two teams will square off again on Memorial Day in the second of two scheduled games this weekend. Monday’s kick-off is once again scheduled for 8:15 PM in Laredo.