KINGSTON, NY – Stockade FC completed their second consecutive home 1-0 shutout win on the weekend with Sunday’s defeat of Hartford City FC in front of 886 supporters at Dietz Stadium.
The boys in orange started hot and controlled the pace of play throughout the opening 45 minutes. The attacking group of Afonso Pinheiro, Scott Zobre, Paul Makaj and Conner Rezende caused havoc on the Hartford backline in the opening stanza.
Juan Parada was key in the midfield as Stockade FC held a large amount of possession early on. In the 12’ minute, Stockade FC found their break through as Parada pulled the strings and swung the ball wide for Scott Zobre. Zobre played the perfect ball into the box for the darting run of Afonso Pinheiro, whose header left no chance for Hartford keeper Hami Kara and would stand as the eventual game winner.
Hartford City began to build more of an attack in the second half after the addition of Luke Alvaro at halftime. The Stockade defense was up to the challenge and stood tall. Jared Mazzola had little to do in goal for Stockade FC through the first 70 minutes but would prove to be vital as he made 2 of his 3 saves in added time, sealing Stockade FC’s 1-0 victory and claiming all 6 points on the weekend.
“Really proud of my guys for they’re performance tonight. That’s another big 3 points for us. We established a good rhythm in the first half which lead to a great team goal,” said Head Coach Jama Lis-Simmons. “The second half, we struggled a bit in possession but were still able to create some good opportunities. Our defense held strong all night and really limited they’re opportunities. This was a huge weekend for us with two shutout victories in front of our amazing fans. We’ll be looking to take this momentum into a tough midweek match up in Brooklyn.”
“Gritty, gutsy performance by the boys to put us in a great position in the standings heading towards June,” said Stockade FC Technical Director Dan Hoffay. Stockade FC heads to Brooklyn for a mid-week matchup with the Brooklyn Italians on Wednesday before returning home to Dietz Stadium on Sunday, June 2 vs. Rhode Island Reds.
XI: Mazzola; Robinson, Markovic, Avila, Kmiec; Koziol, Parada, Rezende; Makaj, Zobre, Pinheiro
Man of the Match – Afonso Pinheiro. The former UAlbany forward and DC United superdraft pick scored his first goal of the season in the 12’ en route to Stockade FC’s second consecutive 1-0 win on the weekend. Scott Zobre found space on the wing and found Pinheiro streaking through the box to open the scoring and ultimately, push Stockade FC to victory.
– written by Dan Hoffay
