Story courtesy of New England Soccer Today
GPS Omens authored another US Open Cup victory by handing Boston City FC a 2-1 second-round loss at Harry Della Russo Stadium in Revere, Mass. on Wednesday.
Omens’ victory followed last week’s 2-0 defeat of PDL side GPS Portland Phoenix, a victory which set the stage for Wednesday’s proceedings.
“We have a tight-knit group of great guys and everyone is all about the team and I think that showed tonight,” said GPS goalscorer Keith Caldwell after the match. “Boston City was a great side and we were struggling to keep the ball, so in the second half we played a little more direct to put them under pressure.”
Indeed, Omens struggles nearly put them in an early ditch when midfielder Nana Addai, fresh off a hat trick against the Rhode Island Reds on Saturday, rifled a one-timer off the underside of the bar in the 3rd minute.
However, it was Omens who drew first blood, as Keith Caldwell curled a shot from the top of the box into the far corner past Lions keeper Vitor Scariot.
“I got a great ball played into me by Harris Smirko,” Caldwell said. “I typically try to beat the guy down the line, but I saw a player coming in with a full head of steam, so I cut back across him, saw the far post and was fortunate to curl it into the top corner.”
The Lions almost leveled the score minutes later as a Gilly De Souza’s shot was saved and the rebound was shot just wide of the goal by Addai as Omens went into halftime with a one-goal margin.
Omens doubled their lead in the 63rd minute when captain Jake Johnson whipped a cross in from the right wing, finding Charles Romero streaking through the box, where he headed the ball past a helpless Scariot.
Down a goal with time winding down, Lions switched to an offensive formation with three defenders, pushing forward and earning a goal to get on the board. Kevin Herrera played a through ball for Jhonata Batista, who scored his third goal of the year and the second of the US Open Cup tournament.
However, Omens held the Lions from scoring an equalizer. In fact, the BSSL side nearly added an insurance goal in the 84th minute when a loose ball in the box was fired on net while Scariot was out of position. The Boston City keeper recovered, however, making a diving save and keeping the game within reach.
With the victory, Omens will look to extend its impressive run on May 31 in upstate New York where they’ll face the Rochester Rhinos (USL) in the third round.
The Rhinos punched their third round ticket by beating FC Motown of the Garden State Soccer League by the score of 3-0 on Wednesday. The Rhinos took care of business early, with goals from Sofaine Tergou and Jochen Graf within the first 8 minutes of the game. Rayane Boukemia added a tally in the 85th minute for good measure.