New England Soccer Today

Lions, Colts Play to Wild Draw

Photo credit: Boston City FC

In a match brimming with massive playoff implications, Boston City FC and Hartford City FC played to a wild 3-3 draw at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Ct. on Sunday.

Boston City stalwart Gabriel De Souza returned to the lineup and made an immediate impact as his header off a corner kick put Boston City out front in the 12th minute. The lead was short-lived, however, as Hartford City took advantage of a miscue by Boston City keeper Vitor Scariot. Hartford attempted a long-throw into a cluttered box, and Scariot was unable to catch the ball cleanly, dropping the ball at the feet of Connor Archambault.

The Colts took their first lead not long after on a counter attack, after Ryan Taylor took advantage of sloppy ball control, carried the ball through the final third into the box, and hit the far bottom corner to put the home side on top.

Boston City would draw level before halftime, as Nana Addai was dragged down in the box, allowing him to level the game from the spot. The goal marked Addai’s fourth consecutive game with a goal and 11th goal on the season.

The second half remained a stalemate until the 83rd minute, when Boston City pulled in front on a goal by substitute Kevin Herrera.

Addai led Homero Morais down the right flank with a through ball, leading to Morais finding Herrera alone on the back post to beat a helpless Hami Kara. Addai’s play won’t end up on the scoresheet, but he charged into the box to the near post, drawing the back line’s attention away from Herrera who slipped away from his marker.

Much like their first lead of the match, Boston City’s advantage faded shortly thereafter as Hartford equalized less than two minutes after the restart. A quick combination down the left side led Taylor around the defense and into the box, where he beat Scariot near-side to draw the game level once more.

The 3-3 scoreline would hold through full-time, giving both sides a point they can use, but not the three points they needed.

With the draw, Boston City (5-3-3, 18 points) virtually secured their spot in second place in the final conference standings. With Kingston Stockade FC defeating the Seacoast United Mariners by a score of 4-2 this weekend, the NY-based selection secured a record of 7-2-1 with 22 points overall and a game in hand to clinch the regular season title.

However, Boston City’s draw over third-place Hartford City (3-3-4, 13 points) maintains their five-point lead for second place, all but clinching that spot. Hartford City FC still has two games to play, but needs road wins over New York Athletic Club and the Rhode Island Reds on back-to-back days to steal second place from Boston City.

The Lions can clinch second place with a victory over Kingston Stockade FC next Saturday, although with a heavy goal difference over Hartford (8 goals), Boston City likely will only need a draw.

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