UNITED OUTLAST MARYLAND BAYS TO EARN A 1-0 WIN
It wasn’t easy, but after an intense ninety minutes of soccer, Reading United A.C outlasted a gritty performance by the visiting Maryland Bays to earn a hard fought 1-0 victory in the First Round of the 2015 U.S. Open Cup. United forward Brett Campbell’s 19th minute goal and a trio of clutch saves late in the match by goalkeeper Kyle Morton helped Reading book a place in the Second Round of the Open Cup. United will host fellow Philadelphia Union affiliate, the Harrisburg City Islanders, on Wednesday, May 20th at Exeter’s Don Thomas Stadium.
United began the first half brightly, with the home side pinning the 2014 U.S. Adult Soccer Association Open Cup Champions deep into their own half. Shane Campbell and Colton Storm linked well down the left flank, while forward Brett Campbell made life difficult for the visitors down the right side. With Keegan Rosenberry shielding United’s back four, center midfielder Lindo Mfeko was free to pick holes in the Bays defense as he looked to find the runs of Storm and Campbell.
United forward Brett Campbell netted the match winner with a 19th minute goal. (Photo Credit: Penn Images/Dave Musante)
Reading got their just reward when they opened the scoring in the 19th minute. Center forward Neco Brett weighted a perfect pass that Brett Campbell collected and poked past Maryland goalkeeper Kris Ward.
The match became quite cynical following United’s opener, the with the referee’s whistle halting play a total of eleven times in the opening 45 minutes of action. In an ugly incident, Bays midfielder Marco Mangione scythed down Shane Campbell directly in front of the United bench in the 43rd minute, earning him a yellow card and leaving Campbell to limp through the final minutes of the first half.
United Head Coach David Castellanos, looking to mitigate Maryland’s physical advantage, inserted wing back Bliss Harris at the start of the second half. The St. Joseph’s University rising junior and Philadelphia Union academy product effectively shut down the left side of the Bays attack for much of the second half.
Maryland, whose gameday roster featured just one substitute, remained compact defensively frustrating United’s forwards. The Bays absorbed wave after wave of Reading attacks and kept thing interesting thanks to some fine saves by Ward. The Maryland goalkeeper made a diving, highlight reel save to deny Neco Brett’s powerful shot that seemed destined for the back of the net. Ward recorded eight saves on the evening.
Reading GK Kyle Morton made four saves in the match to help Reading earn the win. (Photo Credit: Penn Images/Dave Musante)
United goalkeeper Kyle Morton made three clutch stops for Reading late in the match to help the home side preserve the win. In the 83rdminute, Morton did well to stop Peter Caringi’s sizzling shot that looked as it might level the match.
With weary legs, the Maryland Bays were unable to threaten Reading’s goal in the match’s dying minutes. The final whistle blew as Reading secured it’s fourth consecutive victory in the opening round of the U.S. Open Cup and second round showdown with professional side Harrisburg City Islanders.
Following the match, Shane Campbell was please with his team’s performance so early in the 2015 season. “It was a good first start for us. There were a lot of new faces for us and a couple guys that returned from last year. I thought we had a good core, especially within the starting eleven. We gelled pretty well for the first time we actually played ninety minutes.”
After the win, Castellanos offered an upbeat assessment of his side saying, “ A great goal by Brett Campbell and good build up all around. We’re going to take the positives away from the match, but we know we have a ton of work to do to get ready for Harrisburg.” Asked to highlight some of the things his squad did well, Castellanos said, “There were pieces of good movement. Keegan Rosenberry did well and William Picoux came on in the second half and really moved that ball. Our backline played great. Kyle Morton in goal, he saved us.”
The second round match against the Harrisburg City Islanders will be played on Wednesday, May 20th at Exeter’s Don Thomas Stadium. This will mark the third meeting between the two sides in Open Cup play. The City Islanders used a late rally to earn a 2-1 victory over Reading in the 2011 U.S. Open Cup. United defeated Harrisburg 1-0 in the 2013 edition of the Open Cup.
Scoring Summary:
19′ – Reading – Brett Campbell
Reading United Line-Up: GK Kyle Morton; D – Shane Campbell, Martin Nygaard, Andrew Moullin, Paul Marie (Bliss Harris 46′); M – Keegan Rosenberry (C), Graham Smith, Lindo Mfeko (William Picoux 58′); F – Colton Storm, Brett Campbell (Tim Lazorko 78′), Neco Brett
