LIONS CLAW THEIR WAY TO VICTORY
9-Men Lions Defeat the Menace 1-0
Saturday May 25, 2013
By Front Office
St Louis, MO - The Louis Lions clawed their way to victory 1-0 victory over the visiting Des Moines Menace. Newly activated defender Johan Sundberg led the Lions to victory on a goal in the 29th Minute.
A foul just inside the Menace half earned the Lions a free kick. Lions captain Dean Lovegrove played a perfectly placed restart on to the head of Johan Sundberg. Sundberg flicked the ball over the outstretched hands of the Menace Keeper Mark Pais. The lone goal is all the Lions needed as they clawed their way thru a scrappy game.
When the Lions and Menace meet you can always be assured that it will be a hard fought and scrappy game and this one was no different.
In the 22 min Lions defender Yannick Noumbi committed a hard foul just outside the Lions box earning him his first yellow card of the game. Noumbi battling hard was forced to foul the Menace player when he gained a step behind him on the right side of the box. Later in the 65th min Noumbi earned his 2ndyellow of the game on a similar play. The 2nd yellow by Nuombi earned him a send off and forced the Lions to play the next 25 min with only 10 men.
“The games with Des Moines are always great games and very physical. They are a very good side and you need to battle hard. It becomes so much harder when you lose a bit of discipline and gone down a couple of men. However we battled hard and did what it takes to win the game” said Tony Glavin Lions Head Coach.
As Glavin had mentioned the Lions were soon forced to finish the game with only 9 Men when in the 86th min Steven Smith was issued a straight red card for a high challenge on a 50/50 ball with the Menace player.
The Lions proceeded to pack it in and battle the last 4 min and then extra time for the 1-0 victory. When the final whistle blew the Lions erupted in cheer on the field in knowing that they played an excellent game and have earned their first victory of the season.
“I am very pleased with the way the team played. We made some changes in the lineup and they paid off for us. Every player in our organization is important and when they get their chances they can step in and contribute.” Said Glavin “Johan’s goal was excellent”.
The Lions will now hit the road for a couple of long trips to play a pair of games against Real Colorado in Denver and then two more games against the Thunder Bay Chill in Thunder Bay Canada.
The Lions return home on June 16th for a 5:00pm kickoff against Winnipeg WSA. Tickets for the game are on sale now at stllions.com for only $8.00.
The St. Louis Lions are entering their seventh season in the PDL. The St Louis Lions provided an opportunity for players to be exposed to professional scouts throughout the United States and Internationally. Currently the Lions have assisted in placing twelve player’s into the professional ranks in the United States and Internationally.
The USL PDL had another outstanding number of players selected at the Major League Soccer SuperDraft in Kansas City, Mo. Overall, USL PDL alumni made up 26 of the 38 players selected, more than two-thirds, with six players taken in the Top 10. Leading the way was former Reading United and Carolina Dynamo standout Andrew Wenger, who was selected No.1 overall.
The USL PDL has now had 111 alumni selected in the past three years of the MLS SuperDraft, an average of more than 70 percent of the selections made. The leading amateur soccer league in North American, the USL PDL continues to offer the opportunity for growth and development during the summer as players work toward their goals of turning professional.
The St. Louis Lions are a member of the United Soccer League’s (USL) Premier Development League, where players have the ability to compete in the PDL throughout the summer months in a professionalized setting while maintaining their collegiate eligibility.
The St. Louis Lions season will begin in early May and run thru August. For more information about the Lions and the USL visit stllions.com or www.uslsoccer.com.