UNITED HELD BY LEHIGH VALLEY IN LEAGUE OPENER
The scoreboard at Whitehall High School Stadium showed that the first ever Premier Development League match between Reading United A.C. and Lehigh Valley United Sonic ended in scoreless draw. What the match lacked in scoring, it more than made up for with end-to-end action and clutch goalkeeping. Reading goalkeeper Kyle Morton kept his second consecutive clean sheet for the visitors while Lehigh Valley goalkeeper Logan Keys frustrated Reading as he recorded ten saves.
Lehigh Valley United started their inaugural Premier Development League match on the front foot. Many of the home fans were still finding their seats when a well weighted ball from the Sonic midfield presented the home side with a golden opportunity to score inside the first two minutes of the match. The ensuing shot fizzed harmlessly into the side netting of Reading’s goal.
Reading United, forced to absorb pressure exerted by the home side throughout the opening minutes of the match, began to find space in the midfield midway through the opening half. As the visitors began to control the game they laid seige to the Sonic goal. Keys was forced to make five stops in the first half, none bigger than his effort to deny Reading left back Shane Campbell from three yards out in the 39th minute.
At halftime, Reading Head Coach David Castellanos went to his bench for fresh legs, inserting forward Darius Madison, midfielder Graham Smith and defender Quincy Thomas into the match. Madison immediately went to work, taking a pass from Smith and firing a right footed shot toward goal that forced Keys into a diving stop.
The match became stretched as each side went looking for their first goal in league play this season. In the 57th minute, Lehigh Valley hit Reading on a counter that forced Kyle Morton in a big save to keep the home side off the scoreboard.
Lehigh Valley’s best chance of the evening came in the 73rd minute as the home side won a free kick 25 yards from goal. The shot bent around the Reading defensive wall and seemed destined for the back of the net. Morton read the kick well and made a diving save to push the ball away from danger. After the match, Morton talked about the save, saying, “As soon as he hit it, I reacted to it and luckily it dipped right to my hands and I parried it wide.”
Nico Delgado’s 88th minute header seemed destined for the back of the net, but crashed off the ctossbar. (Photo Credit: Dave Musante/Penn Images)
After nearly conceding, United mounted pressure on Lehigh Valley, pinning the home side in their half for the final 15 minutes of the match. Reading’s Paul Marie had a golden chance to put United into the lead in the 83rdminute. The midfielder showed off his impressive footwork as he darted through the Sonic defense, but he lashed his shot straight at Keys.
Two minutes from time, Darius Madison made a blazing run to the end line before deftly chipping the ball into the penalty area. United forward Nico Delgado rose above the Lehigh Valley defense, but smashed his headed effort of the crossbar.
As the full time whistle sounded, Reading earned a hard fought point in Whitehall, but were left goalless and frustrated. Castellanos reflected his side’s catalog of chances stating, “We need to get better in the attacking third and finish these opportunities.” He continued, “I think if we get one goal up on the scoreboard, then a second and third goal becomes a little easier and it relieves some of the pressure we’re dealing with.”
Scoring Summary
– None –
Reading United Line-Up
GK – Kyle Morton; D – Tim Lazorko, Rob Sagel, Martin Nygaard, Shane Campbell (Paul Marie 68′); M – Keegan Rosenberry (Jack Webber 64′), Andrew Moullin, William Picoux (Graham Smith 46′); F – Brett Campbell (Quincy Thomas 46′), Nico Delgado, Colton Storm (Darius Madison 46′)
