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Tuesday, August 11th 2009
 The Cleveland City Stars battled hard against the Charleston Battery on Tuesday but fell 4-1. Leo Gibson scored the only goal for the Stars with a well-placed penalty kick.
Charleston came out of the gates quickly and found the back of the net in only the 2nd minute of the game. After a poor clearance, midfielder Scott Buete took advantage and launched a powerful shot from outside the City Stars box, catching goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap off his guard.
Despite several good chances, including a beautiful ball played goal by Leo Gibson, the City Stars were unable to capitalize before the Battery retaliated in the 20th minute. Defender Ibrahim Kante applied pressure to stop Buete from another attempt on goal, but fouled him in the process, earning the Battery a penalty kick. Midfielder Tsuyoshi Yoshitake stepped up to take the penalty and sliced the ball into the lower corner of the goal, beating Gilstrap to bring the score to 2-0.
The Battery made it's presence known again just 4 minutes later when midfielder Ian Fuller played a ball to an unmarked Stephen Armstrong directly in front of the City Stars goal. Armstrong's expert header found the back of the net for the Battery's 3rd goal of the match.
 The City Stars seemed to come out of shock after the 3rd goal, and began applying pressure on the Charleston goal. After several good plays involving Gibson and forward Ricardo Pierre-Louis, defender Warren Kanu found his way into the Battery box. He was met roughly by Charleston defenders and was shoved out of bounds, earning Cleveland a well-deserved penalty kick. Midfielder Leo Gibson took the shot and placed it directly below the crossbar to deny the Battery a shutout.
The second half was a midfield battle, with both teams having equal opportunities. Goalkeeper Gilstrap had several impressive saves and fended off shots from Buete and forward Randi Patterson. In the 72nd minute, Patterson broke free of the pack and took a hard shot on the Cleveland goal, losing his shoe in the process and narrowly missing Gilstrap. Undaunted, Gilstrap scooped up the ball to make the save.
In the 87th minute Charleston's Yoshitake and late substitute Dan Antoniuk teamed up to make a final stand on the City Stars goal. After a skilled flick backwards to Antoniuk, Yoshitake sprinted forward for a give-and-go before shooting the ball past Gilstrap to make the final score 4-1.
The City Stars return home next week on Tuesday, August 18th at 7 p.m. when they seek redemption against the Montreal Impact at Middlefield Cheese Stadium. Tickets are still available through the online teamshop by calling 330-425-2003.
Lineups:
Cleveland: GK Hunter Gilstrap, D Troy Roberts, D Ibrahim Kante, D Warren Kanu (F Arsene Oka 82'), D Anthony Stovall, M Pato Aguilera, M Ryan Stewart, M Gordon Kljestan (M Kolby LaCrone 74') , M Jason Hotchkin (F Israel Sesay 63'), M Leo Gibson, F Ricardo Pierre-Louis (F Teteh Bangura 57')
Charleston: GK Keith Wiggans, D Frankie Sanfillippo, D Matt Bobo, D Nelson Akwari, D O'Brian Woodbine, M Tsuyoshi Toshitake, M Ian Fuller (M Tyler Hughes 45'), M Scott Buete (Yeniel Bermudez 78'), F Stephen Armstrong (D Nigel Marples 74'), F Darren Spicer (F Dan Antoniuk 85'), F Randi Patterson (M Kenji Treschuk 90')
Summary:
Cle: Leo Gibson 35' (PK)
Cha: Scott Buete 2', Tsuyoshi Yoshitake 20' (PK), Stephen Armstrong 24' (Ian Fuller), Tsuyoshi Yoshitake 87' (Dan Antoniuk)
Cautions:
Cle: Gordon Kljestan 13', Warren Kanu 45', Ricardo Pierre-Louie 52', Jason Hotchkin 60'
Cha: Scott Buete 65'
Attendance: 2,907 |
City Stars Suffer 4-1 Defeat to Charleston Battery