Sep 25 Impact Looking Good in Game 1

Not only had the Montreal Impact not beaten the Charleston Battery in the three regular season games this season, but they were unable to score a single goal during that span, going 0-0, 0-0, 0-1. That all changed last night.

Montreal, who ended the season with 5-1-2 in their last 8 games was on quite a confidence boost and while perhaps fans and media were looking for a higher scoring result, the Impact will surely take their 2-0 victory back to Charleston with the pressure surely off their shoulders.

The Impact opened the scoring at the 10th minute. After accepting a pass from Joey Gjertsen from the right flank, midfielder David Testo controlled the ball before unleashing a powerful shot 35 meters out that bounced in front of the net before beating Battery goalkeeper Keith Wiggans to his left. Wiggans got the call in net for Charleston as their number one, Dusty Hudock was out with a knee injury. Hudock finished the regular season first in the league in goals against (5), shutouts (12) and goals allowed per game (0.279).

Montreal's aggressive play in the 1st half led to the ejection of a key Battery player, Matt Bobo. Bobo was ejected at the 45th minute after having been booked a second yellow card for illegally tackling forward Peter Byers. Montreal then had possession of the ball for most of the second half.

Coach Marc Dos Santos utilised his bench in the second, getting fresh legs on the pitch ot take advantage of the man advantage, as the Battery closed up the penalty box area and kept the Impact mostly to the outside. And from outside is where the second Impact goal came.

Midfielder Rocco Placentino added the insurance goal at the 88th minute. Following a pass from forward Eduardo Sebrango outside the 18, Placentino streaked by a Battery player just at the top right corner of the penalty area before pelting a precise laser that nicked the crossbar just before entering the goal.

Montreal 'keeper Matt Jordan, not quite as busy, but called upon to make a couple of good stops, registered the shutout after making two saves on four shots.

But nothing is won yet, to hear coach Dos Santos tell it: “The quarterfinals are four 45-minute halves and we won the first two halves,”

And truer words have never been spoken. The Impact know all too well that a home win means nothing. Last year they beat Vancouver 1-0 in the postseason, only to lose on aggregate goal totals when they lost 2-0 during game 2 in Vancouver. And let's not forget (and how can we?) the team implosion against Santos Laguna in last year's CONCACAF championships?

The Impact will play the second and decisive match of the aggregate goal series Sunday at 7 pm at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina (FSW, radio-canada.ca/sports, CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990). 

Tags: charleston battery \ David Testo \ Marc dos santos \ Montreal Impact \ playoffs \ recap \ result \ Rocco Placentino \ score \ soccer \ USL