"Obviously, you want to win every single game if you can, but when you come back with seven points out of a possible nine, and you remain undefeated, you can’t ask for more," said DeSantis, who saw his team come up with wins in Vancouver against the Whitecaps (3-0), Friday, and in Calgary against the Mustangs (2-0), Sunday, before settling for a 1-1 tie against the Aviators, in a game that ended late Tuesday night at Commonwealth Stadium.
The 2-0-1 record in Western Canada allows DeSantis’ squad to remain the A-League’s only undefeated team this season, at 8-0-2. The Impact will come back home with a four-point lead on the Rochester Rhinos on top of Eastern Conference standings.
Although his squad lost its only points against the Aviators, an expansion team that has yet to win this year (0-3-5), DeSantis said he was impressed with the way his players came up with the tie.
"This was the first time we trailed in a game, so we showed character by coming back from behind, especially when you consider that Edmonton scored their goal at the end of the game," noted DeSantis. "But these are the kinds of things we have to overcome as a team. And not only did we do that, but the players were disappointed after the game, they knew they could have won it in overtime."
A goal by Darko Kolic at the 90th minute of play salvaged the tie for the Impact.
Jaime Lopresti had given the Aviators a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick at the 81st minute, which the referee had awarded when Chris Lemire, a former Impact player, was brought down in the penalty area. Lopresti beat Montreal goalkeeper Greg Sutton to his left.
Kolic, who came into the game as a substitute at the 88th minute, tied it up in injury time, heading in a pass by Chris Williams, made following a free kick by Sandro Grande. It was his first goal this season. Williams, who picked up an assist on the play, collected his first career point in the A-League.
Edmonton’s goal deprived Sutton of a fifth straight shutout, which would have been a new club record. The Impact goalkeeper nonetheless shut out the opponent for a total of 503 consecutive minutes, allowing him to erase the old record of 499 straight minutes without allowing a goal, set by Paolo Ceccarelli in 1996. Sutton has only given two goals in 10 starts this season — one on an own goal, the other on a penalty kick.
The Impact will be back at Claude Robillard Stadium this Sunday afternoon to face the Toronto Lynx (4 pm, CJAD, CKAC).
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SOURCE:
bcomm
INFO:
Stéphane Banfi
514-328-3668 (ext. 27)
