Impact forward Mauricio Salles, who played with the Islanders last year, scored the lone goal of the game and his first with Montreal to ensure the win.
After playing to a 0-0 tie April 23 against the Miami FC, the Impact returns from its first road trip with a total of four points out of a possible six.
HIGHLIGHTS
12th minute – Impact midfielder Leonardo Di Lorenzo takes a free kick from 25 yards to the far post. Positioned in front of the net, an Islanders defender deflects the ball with his head towards Mauricio Salles, who dives with a header and beats goalkeeper Dan Kennedy to his right.
36th minute – Islanders defender Alejandro Gonzalez takes a free kick towards forward Caleb Norkus, who beats goalkeeper Greg Sutton with a shot to his right. However the goal is disallowed because of a foul on the play. Defender Mauricio Segovia gets a yellow card for contesting the call with the referee.
47th minute – Impact midfielder Zé Roberto receives his second yellow card of the match and is ejected from the game. The Impact must play with 10 men.
54th minute – Islanders defender Mauricio Segovia also receives his second yellow card of the game and is ejected. The Islanders also have to play with 10 men for the rest of the match.
65th minute – Alejandro Gonzalez takes a free kick from 30 yards that is flicked by defender Marco Velez with the head. Sutton deflects the ball just over the crossbar, by diving to his left.
74th minute – Following a centering pass from Alejandro Gonzalez to the far post, Caleb Norkus redirects the ball with a header, but Sutton makes the save of the game by diving to his right.
POST-GAME COMMENTS
HEAD COACH NICK DE SANTIS
"What made the difference was that we won the battles in the midfield. We also did very well defensively by recuperating a lot balls that were sent in by the Islanders. With the ejections, the game was more open but the field conditions made it hard to play. This win will give more confidence to the team. We got four points out of a possibility of six, so it’s another good start to the season."
MAURICIO SALLES
"I’m happy with the result. The fans treated me nice and I got a warm welcome on the field. I’m happy to have scored my first goal with the Impact at home, in front of my family. The game was intense and very physical from start to finish because both teams wanted absolutely to win. Thankfully, we were able to protect our 1-0 lead throughout the game."
GREG SUTTON
"We have to be happy with this win because it was a tough battle. We were able to score early in the game and afterwards, our defense did a really good job. The game was tough, but we played intelligently. This win shows that the team is progressing and we are heading in the right direction."
NOTES
• Forward Mauricio received a warm welcome from his former fans during the presentation of the starting line-ups.
• Goalkeeper Greg Sutton tallied his second shutout of the season and he now registers 60 career shutouts with the Impact.
• This was Nevio Pizzolitto’s 187th game with the Impact. He has now surpassed former Impact defender Patrick Diotte, who ranked fourth overall in all-time games played.
MISSING FROM THE LINE-UP
Team – Player – Position - Reason
• MTL - Kirk Wilson – M – ankle injury
• MTL – Masahiro Fukasawa – M – Sprained left foot
MEANWHILE
• Defender Adam Braz, as well as midfielders Patrick Leduc and Antonio Ribeiro have been invited by the Canadian National Team for a training camp to be held in Fort Lauderdale, in Florida, from May 1 to 8.
• Defender Gabriel Gervais was picked on the United Soccer Leagues First Division Team of the Week. The 29-year-old veteran helped the Impact kick off the regular season with a 0-0 tie against the Miami FC.
NEXT GAMES
Date – Teams – Stadium – Time – Broadcast
• Sat. May 13 Impact @ Charleston Blackbaud Stadium 7:30 pm - CJAD, Sport Plus XM-172
• Sun. May 14 Impact @ V. Beach Virginia Beach Sportsplex 7:30 pm - CJAD, Sport Plus XM-172
• Sun. May 21 Minnesota @ Impact Claude-Robillard Sports Complex 4 :00 pm – CJAD, Sport Plus XM-172
SUMMARY
Impact line-up
Greg Sutton, Gabriel Gervais, Nevio Pizzolitto, Mauricio Vincello, Adam Braz, Patrick Leduc, Leonardo Di Lorenzo (Lars Lyssand 77), Zé Roberto, Antonio Ribeiro, Mauro Biello (Jason DiTullio 90), Mauricio Salles (Daniel Antoniuk 69)
Puerto Rico line-up
Dan Kennedy, Thomas Queeley, Marco Velez, Mauricio Segovia, Alejandro Gonzalez, Noah Delgado, Jonathan Lopuski (Luis Zuleta 45), Kormac Valdebenito, Alen Marcina, Caleb Norkus, Alexis Rivera (Rafael Ortiz 64)
Statistics: Impact – Puerto Rico
Shots: 5-5
Saves: 5-3
Fouls: 27-24
Offsides: 3-2
Corners: 1-8
Cautions
PR: Alejandro Gonzalez 1
MTL : Zé Roberto 15
PR: Marco Velez 28
PR : Mauricio Segovia 35
PR : Caleb Norkus 62
MTL : Adam Braz 77
MTL: Greg Sutton 82
MTL: Antonio Ribeiro 85
MTL: Mauro Biello 86
PR : Alen Marcina 88
Expulsions
MTL : Zé Roberto 47
PR : Mauricio Segovia 53
PR : Caleb Norkus 90
Officials
Adam Nehme, Juan Perez Gomez, William Anderson, James Tosado
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Source : Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact
Info : 514-328-3668 Ext. 27
