Juan Gatti plays through the extremely wet conditions at Dietz Stadium. (Photo by Roy Gumpel)
By Randy Kim, Kingston Stockade FC General Manager
KINGSTON, N.Y. -- All good things must end, or so the saying goes. And such was the case with Kingston Stockade FC's home winning streak to open the season, and history of the club.
After opening the 2016 campaign with three straight home wins, Stockade FC fell to Boston City FC, 3-2, on Sunday at Dietz Stadium.
Stockade opened the match positively, getting a goal in the 15th minute from new starter Matt Daum. The goal was the second of the season for the 32-year-old from New Paltz, N.Y.
Boston was relatively quick to respond, however, scoring a goal in the 24th minute courtesy of Samuel Batista.
Play continued evenly for the next 35 minutes, until the match was paused due to lightning. And lots of rain.
After about 45 minutes, play resumed with the score 1-1. Stockade then found it within themselves to take the lead, thanks to a precisely floated volleyed chip from the boot of Corey Phillips in the 69th minute. The goal was also the second of the season for the 28-year-old from Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
The tenor of the match then changed with the introduction of Yaw Addow for Boston. The Ghanaian forward's speed and strength proved tough for the Stockade defense to handle. Addow headed in a goal in the 77th minute.
Addow's aggressive runs proved problematic for Kingston, stretching the home defense until Michael Bustamante gave Boston the lead in the 90th minute.
Stockade pushed hard in the closing moments, threatening once or twice, but ultimately the City rearguard proved strong enough to hold off any threats, giving the visitors a 3-2 win on the day.
The loss was the first suffered by Stockade FC at Dietz Stadium, and leaves them with a 3-1-3 record (wins-draws-losses), good enough for a three-way tie for second place in the NPSL's Northeast: Atlantic Conference.
Kingston now has two away matches this weekend, Saturday, June 11 at Seacoast United Mariners (1 p.m. ET) and Sunday, June 12 at Seacoast United Phantoms (4 p.m. ET). Stockade's next home match is Saturday, June 18 (2 p.m. ET) against New York Cosmos B.
Stockade Starting XI v Boston City FC: Skonieczny; Gatti, Barrett, Lis-Simmons (C), Steigerwald; Koziol; Anasta, Creswick, Williams; Phillips, Daum