Story originally published at New England Soccer Today. Follow them on Twitter @NESoccerToday
Matt Hoff converted the game-winning penalty for a short-handed Mass Premier Soccer squad, which staked a 1-1 (4-2 PKs) victory over East Providence Sports in Saturday’s US Open Cup Massachusetts state final.
It took only 20 seconds for Tyler Macnee to put Mass Premier in the driver’s seat, but the goalscorer was red carded three minutes later. Kyle Teixeira equalized in the 81st minute before penalties were employed to separate the sides.Jimmi Underhill stopped the first Mass Premier penalty, while Jeff Newman stopped East Providence’s second bid, and was helped by the post on the fourth attempt. Seconds later, Hoff struck it true to send his teammates through to the USASA Region I portion of the 100th edition of the US Open Cup tournament.“It was a tough game,” said MPS manager/midfielder Nick Christman. “It wasn’t a flashy game, but I think both sides showed a lot of resilience. Everyone dug in real deep, it went back and forth a lot.”
Christman’s club wasted no time tipping it in their favor. As East Providence cycled the ball inside their half right after the whistle, Mass Premier seized a lazy ball, and Christman sent it Macnee. With only Underhill standing in his way, Macnee slid it through to grab the lead in the first minute.
Yet, Macnee’s match was over before the fifth minute for putting his elbow into Gomes’ forehead on a 50/50 ball near center circle. With Gomes sporting a sizable gash on his forehead, the referee issued a straight red card to Macnee.
“You start off and score a goal in the first minute, and we have real good combination play that kind of set the tone of the game,” Christman said. “Then, you get a red card. Obviously, that’s not what you want, especially in the Massachusetts final.”
Gomes returned to action bandaged up moments later, and helped steer his team’s attack against a short-handed opponent.
In the 28th minute, Jimmy Hernandez chased down a pass from Teixeira into the box and was brought down by Newman. A penalty was awarded, and Newman was cautioned before Teixeira lined up his shot. But Newman redeemed himself when he denied the penalty.“We had a great opportunity to take advantage,” East Providence coach Larry Alves said. “Missing that PK was huge. Their goalie came up with a big save. Kyle’s usually pretty good about putting those away. But going forward, a man up, you have to take advantage.”
Instead of dwelling on their misfortune, East Providence only sharpened the attack. Teixeira and Anthony Petrarca each fired dangerous free kicks that curled away from frame at the last moment.
Alves’ squad almost leveled right before halftime when Andres Perdomo found an open look on frame. But the attacking midfielder couldn’t keep his shot down.
The second half opened much like the first 45 closed: with East Providence pressing the issue. Gomes and Joaquim De Pina each put Mass Premier on notice with open headers that came close to frame.
While the luck may have eluded East Providence, Mass Premier relied on its defense to snuff out a host of chances. Former New England Revolution defender Sam Brill helped keep the back four strong by winning a number of aerial chances.
“We attacked well,” Alves said. “We were pretty much in their end for the entire game. But we couldn’t put more balls away. It’s just unlucky.”
“Our defensive line played real, real well,” Christman said. “It’s one of our strengths. We have an unbelievable backline. We don’t give up very many goals.”
The only goal Mass Premier gave up came from a curious sequence in the 81st minute. Teixeira went inside the area and chipped it far post with Hernandez nearby. Realizing he was offside, Hernandez ducked away, and watched the ball crash into the net on its own. Initially, the assistant referee’s flag nullified the goal, but the referee consulted with assistant referee, and East Providence was back in business.
Overtime concluded 10 v. 9 after Andrew Hench and Eddy Lopes were issued red cards in the 97th and 102nd minutes, respectively, for dangerous challenges.
Knotted at one apiece after 120 minutes, each team selected players for penalties. After East Providence missed their second attempt, Hoff stepped to the spot with his club holding a 3-2 advantage, and buried it to send Mass Premier to its second U.S. Open Cup state final triumph in the last three years.
“The guys did a great job. We’re ready to go (to the USASA Region 1 Finals),” Christman joked. “We’ve got knocks, so it’ll be good to take some time off and wait until March for the draw.”
Video highlights
2013 Massachusetts Open Cup tournament results
First Round [+] Recap
Battery Park Gunners 2:1 Mass United FC
Boston Olympiakos 0:6 Mass Premier Soccer
Middlesex FC 1:6 East Providence Sports
Strela Negra (BYE)
Semifinals
Battery Park Gunners 3:4 East Providence Sports [+] Recap
Mass Premier Soccer 8:1 Strela Negra
Final
Mass Premier Soccer 1:1 East Providence Sports
MPS wins the championship, 4-2 in PKs
Recent Massachusetts Open Cup champions
2013: Mass Premier Soccer
2012: Battery Park Gunners
2011: Mass Premier Soccer
2010: Emigrantes Das Ilhas
2009: Emigrantes Das Ilhas*
2008: Boston Olympiakos*
2007: Lowell Revolution
2006: Green Briar Rebels
2005: Green Briar Rebels
2004: Boston Olympiakos
2003: Green Briar Rebels
2002: Hellas United
*Qualified for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup