Pioneers defeat Portland and earn U.S. Open Cup berth
23.02.98
LUDLOW - West Springfield's Chris Roswess scored in the 71st minute and the Western Mass. Pioneers earned a 1-0 win over the Portland Phoenix Friday night to claim one of the nine U.S. Open Cup berths from the Premier Development League.
Roswess, who plays at the University of Massachusetts, came on in the second half and provided the Pioneers a spark in the offensive third. After scoring he then gave the Lusitano Stadium faithful a show with an acrobatic flip in celebration.
"I just got a ball into my feet from Tommy (McNamara) and turned,'' Roswess said. "I didn't even look at the net really, just struck it and it went bottom corner.''
McNamara, a midfielder who plays at Brown University, was brilliant in the second half after Pioneers coach Joe Calabrese moved him from the sole striker position in the first half to center midfield where he controlled the flow of the match for the final 45.
"In the second half he was the man of the match but in the first half he struggled up top and wasn't able to settle in,'' Calabrese said. "We played Chris high as the lone striker and put McNamara in behind him as an attacking midfielder. It was a pivotal moment in the match those adjustments we made at halftime. We even put D.J. Pereira at the right mid and he was able to get behind the left wing back and provide some quality service and created a few more chances.''
Source: MassLive.com