Leduc scored at the 9th minute of play by placing the ball to the left of Calgary goalkeeper Lutz Pfannenstiel. The referee awarded the penalty kick when Antonio Ribeiro was brought down in the penalty area. It was Leduc’s second goal this season. He also has five assists.
Commodore, who came off the bench at the 53rd minute to replace Nikola Budalic, scored the insurance goal at the 61st. He headed the ball in on a cross from Jason DiTullio.
"They had most of the ball possession in the first half, but we stayed disciplined at the back and we held on to our lead," said Impact head coach Nick DeSantis. "In the second half, we showed more determination, and Fred scored a key goal. As the game progressed, we started to be more and more dangerous offensively, and we showed character, although we were tired, in not letting them get any good scoring chances."
Goalkeeper Greg Sutton picked up his eighth shutout in nine starts this season. It was his 35th perfect game in a Montreal uniform, a new club record. The previous record of 34 career shutouts was held by Paolo Ceccarelli.
It was also Sutton’s fourth straight shutout, which ties a club record, first established in 1996 by Ceccarelli. The Impact ‘keeper has not allowed a goal in his last 422 minutes of play. The team record, also held by Ceccarelli, is 499 straight minutes without a goal.
"It’s nice to have all these accolades, but what’s more important is that we keep doing what we’ve been doing this season," said Sutton. "I can’t take the credit. Sure, I had a hand in it, but we’ve achieved all this because we’ve defended well as a team, and everyone deserves a pat in the back."
DeSantis’ squad extended its undefeated streak to nine games, improving on the club record established Friday night in Vancouver — and the club’s best start ever. Montreal remains the only unbeaten team in the A-League so far this season. Its 8-0-1 record puts the team alone on top of Eastern Conference standings, three points ahead of the Rochester Rhinos with one game in hand.
DiTullio had to leave the game at the 88th minute, suffering from a knee injury. Further exams will be carried out on Monday.
After coming up with a 3-0 victory in Vancouver against the Whitecaps, Friday, the Impact will end its three-game road trip in Western Canada this Tuesday in Edmonton, against the Aviators (10:30 pm). The Montreal team will be back at Claude Robillard Stadium on Sunday, June 20, to face the Toronto Lynx (4 pm, CJAD, CKAC).
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SOURCE:
bcomm
INFO:
Stéphane Banfi
514-328-3668 (ext. 27)
