This last regular-season match-up for both teams was played in front of 9,108 spectators at Claude Robillard Sports Complex. Montreal therefore finished the season with an average of 9,279 fans per game, a club record which erases the old record, set last year, of 7,236 people per game.
"We totally dominated the first half," said Impact head coach Nick DeSantis. "But we had problems once we were in their offensive third. The decisions we were taking weren’t the right ones, we need to do better in terms of quality."
Although the Impact had a 7-3 edge in shots in the first half, the Kickers were the ones who scored. Simms took advantage of a corner kick taken by Kevin Jeffrey to head the ball in at the near post.
In the second half, the Impact’s best scoring chances came at the 58th minute, when Antonio Ribeiro’s shot hit the crossbar, and at the 87th, when following a corner kick, Fred Commodore saw his shot from close in stopped at the line by a Richmond defender. Less than a minute later, Cephas took advantage of a play by Matt Delicate to get the ball past goalkeeper Greg Sutton from inside the box.
DeSantis’ players can now start to prepare for the first playoff round against the Rhinos, a home-and-away, aggregate-goal series that will kick off on Friday, September 3 in Rochester (7:35 pm) and will conclude on Sunday, September 5 at Claude Robillard Sports Complex (7:30 pm, live on FSW).
In spite of the Impact’s two losses to finish the regular season — Montreal was defeated 2-0 in Rochester, Friday — midfielder Patrick Leduc says his team will not be affected by it when the playoffs start.
"Everything we did this season is erased and we start from scratch," said Leduc. "We have a week to prepare. We expect to go through the same emotions than last Friday in Rochester. We can beat the Rhinos in Rochester, we did it earlier this season. We just need to stay level-headed."
With the loss, the Impact, which had already clinched a playoff spot and first place in the Eastern Conference, remained two points ahead of the Western-Conference leading Portland Timbers in overall A-League standings. The Timbers were facing the Milwaukee Wave United, Sunday night, however.
The loss puts the Impact record at 17-6-5. The six losses tie a club record for fewest losses in a year, set in 1996 and tied for the first time in 2003.
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SOURCE:
bcomm
INFO:
Stéphane Banfi
514-328-3668 (ext. 27)
