By Datti Jinkiri
Both Brilla and the St. Louis U-23s shared the spoils at Traceway Park tonight. A 1-1 tie was the result in the teams' third meeting of the season.
Brilla opened up the scoring very late in the 75th minute. Substitute midfielder Eduardo Cruz, who is always a threat in dead ball situations, placed a well weighted free kick onto captain Ignacio Flores' head. The skipper made no mistake about the finish, flicking the ball past St. Louis keeper Benjamin Lundt's outstretched hands. It was Flores' second goal of the season.
However, St. Louis would equalize only two minutes later. Midfielder Mike Lightbourne's pass fell into the path of substitute James Routledge. The diminutive Routledge pounced on the opportunity and buried the shot past keeper Brendan Ledgeway.
That was the only blemish on Ledgeway's nearly flawless game. He made not one, but two penalty kick saves. The Englishman blocked striker Ezana Kahsay's attempt in the first half, and he denied Mike Lightbourne's attempt in the second half. All in all, Ledgeway finished his “man of the match” performance with eight saves.
Both teams will meet again Sunday night at Traceway Park. Kickoff will be at 7:00 P.M., and tickets will cost $5. It will be the season finale for them both teams, and they will be looking to end the season on a high note.