MELBOURNE, Fla. (May 7, 2016) – Orlando City B (2-5-3, 9 points) earned a point against Bethlehem Steel FC (2-2-3, 10 points) after coming back from two goals early in the game with goals from Tyler Turner and Michael Cox. The game was the last of three matches in the span of seven days for OCB.
“The boys showed great character to come from two down, which was really pleasing to see,” OCB head coach Anthony Pulis said. “It’s been a tough stretch, three games in six days is never easy. I tried to rotate the squad to keep it fresh and I was pleased with the character and the effort tonight. The guys kept going for 94 minutes. We’ve got two weeks now until next game so we can regroup, have some good time on the training pitch and get ready for the Rochester game.”
Orlando City defender Luke Boden started the match as he works his way back from a hamstring injury. Boden has made two starts for City this season. Lions Goalkeeper Earl Edwards also made his first start in goal, posting a crucial five saves. Four other Orlando City players started the match, including Harrison Heath, Conor Donovan, Hadji Barry and Tyler Turner.
Bethlehem started the scoring in the 12th minute when Erik Ayuk’s cross was toe-poked into the net by OCB’s Tony Rocha. Bethlehem scored again just two minutes later when Derrick Jones fed Fabian Herbers in behind the back line, who flicked it past Edwards with his right foot.
OCB responded quickly in the 17th minute with Turner’s third goal of the season. Turner stepped into Michael Cox’s back pass 25 yards from goal and drilled it under the bar to draw the Lions within one.
The Lions almost equalized in the 37th minute when Boden curled a dangerous ball into Cox on the six-yard box, but the Canadian’s deflection went just high of the bar. They almost found the equalizer again in the first minute of stoppage time when Heath’s corner service found Donovan, but Bethlehem goalkeeper John McCarthy made a nice diving catch.
Bethlehem was reduced to 10 men in the 50th minute when Walter Restrepo was shown a straight red card for retaliating against Turner following a dangerous Steel attack that was cleared away. The man-advantage allowed OCB to turn up the pressure in search of the equalizer.
The Lions found it shortly thereafter in the 54th minute when Turner lobbed a ball into Cox in the area. The Canadian chested it down and slipped it under McCarthy for his third goal of the season. OCB almost found the go-ahead goal in the 63rd minute when Marius Obekop slid a ball in for Cox, but McCarthy dove for the save.
Edwards kept the score even in the 81st minute when Seku Conneh ripped a shot from 30 yards that Edwards had to leap to get a hand on to keep it out of the top corner. He had to make another good save in the final minute of the match.
OCB returns to action on Sunday, May 22, at Titan Soccer Complex to host the Rochester Rhinos. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. E.T. Tickets to all City home matches are available at OrlandoCitySC.com or by calling 855-ORL-CITY. Follow the latest Orlando City news and updates via Facebook, Twitter,Instagram and YouTube.
Scoring Summary:
BS - Tony Rocha (Own Goal) 12’
BS - Fabian Herbers (Derrick Jones) 14’
OCB - Tyler Turner (Michael Cox) 17’
OCB - Michael Cox (Tyler Turner) 54’
Misconduct Summary:
BS - Michael Daly (Yellow Card) 33’
OCB - Conor Donovan (Yellow Card) 35’
BS - Walter Restrepo (Red Card) 50’
OCB - Luke Boden (Yellow Card) 65’
BS - James Chambers (Yellow Card) 87’
BS - Cole Missimo (Yellow Card) 90’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City B - GK Earl Edwards, D Tyler Turner, Luke Boden (Kyle McFadden 61’), Conor Donovan, Devron Garía, M Lewis Neal, Johnny Mendoza (Marius Obekop 46’), Harrison Heath, Tony Rocha (Pierre Da Silva 85’), F Michael Cox (Bryan Róchez 83’), Hadji Barry
Substitutes: GK Jake Fenlason, D Mikey Ambrose, M Andrew Ribeiro
Bethlehem Steel FC - GK John McCarthy, D Ryan Richter, Michael Daly, Bolu Akinyode, Taylor Washington, M James Chambers, Derrick Jones, Eric Ayuk (Gabe Gissie 90’), Walter Restrepo, Leo Fernandes (Cole Missimo 89’), F Fabian Herbers (Seku Conneh 76’)
Substitutes: GK Samir Badr, D Joe Dezart, M Fred, F Jamie Luchini
Details of the Game
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear
May 7, 2016
Attendance: 928
Stats:
Shots:
OCB - 10
BSFC - 11
Saves:
OCB - 5
BSFC - 2
Corners:
OCB - 3
BSFC - 4
