The game was attended by 8,877 spectators, a team record for a home opener. The preceding record of 7,128 fans was established last year. It was also the second-highest attendance in club history, behind the all-time record crowd of 9,414 people, set on August 13, 2003.
"It’s disappointing for our fans, but I would have been even more disappointed if we hadn’t had any scoring chances," said Impact head coach Nick DeSantis. "Playing a man down, we still set the tone of the game."
With the tie, the Impact remains undefeated this season (3-0-1). The Montreal squad has yet to allow a goal since the season started. Goalkeeper Greg Sutton picked up his fourth shutout in as many starts. He made one of his best saves at the 86th minute, diving to his left to block a shot by Jeff Bilyk. He also got some help from defender Gabriel Gervais, who stopped a shot by Nate Winkel on the goal line at the 82nd minute.
Montreal was down to 10 men against 11 after only three minutes of play in the second half, when Grande collected his second yellow card of the game, following a dangerous tackle. He picked up his first caution at the 39th minute, after pulling out the corner flag in frustration.
"We had started to dominate towards the end of the first half and I never thought about playing defensively," said DeSantis. "I took out a forward and put in a midfield to keep the midfield compact, and we kept creating chances."
Mauro Biello came close to giving the local team the lead less than a minute after the ejection. After cutting in front of the net, he just missed the left post.
The Impact continued to buzz around the Mariners net, dominating 9-6 in shots in the second half, and 5-2 in overtime. Eduardo Sebrango was Montreal’s most dangerous player with six shots on net, including five after the half-time break.
"We deserved the win," said Sebrango. "We could have scored three or four goals. It’s frustrating, but we have to look at the positive side, we managed to create a lot of chances."
The Impact, playing its 11th home opener at Claude Robillard Stadium, now has a 8-1-2 record in such circumstances. The team’s only loss dates back to May 27, 2001.
The Impact’s next regular-season game will be on Friday, May 28 at 7:30 pm, as the Toronto Lynx will be the visiting team at Claude Robillard Stadium. The Montreal squad will be playing a friendly match-up against a Haitian select team on Sunday, May 23 at 5 pm, once again at Claude Robillard Stadium, as part of the activities surrounding the Bicentennial of Haiti’s Independence.
-30-
SOURCE:
bcomm
INFO:
Stéphane Banfi
514-328-3668 (ext. 27)
