Jon Greenberg Photo
Shaquille Saunchez battles two defenders.
Elm City Express, a first-year professional New Haven club, trounced CD Aguiluchos USA 2 – 0 at Yale’s Reese Stadium Saturday night to advance to the National Premier Soccer League Championship Final.
Saturday’s victory was the latest in a magical opening season for Elm City. The club, which was founded in January, has captured the North East Conference title, for which 24 teams compete, and is the top-seeded team remaining in the 96-team league.
Happy fans at Saturday’s match.
Elm City will face FC Midland-Odessa in the NPSL trophy match next Saturday back at Reese Stadium. Midland-Odessa beat Detroit City FC 4 – 2 in penalties in Saturday’s other semi-final.
Elm City striker Graciano Brito got things going in the ninth minute Saturday, intercepting a pass deep in the Aguiluchos backfield and outpacing two defenders to put his club ahead. Shaquille Saunchez piled it on in the fifth minute of first half stoppage time, taking a pass from Tavoy “Bull” Morgan through the last line of the Aguiluchos defense and beating the keeper with a rocket to the bottom left corner.
Elm City coaches celebrate after the first goal.
Saunchez beats the keeper for Elm City’s second goal.
Saunchez, who made the All-NEC First Team as a senior at Sacred Heart University last year, said he knew he had scored as soon as the ball left his foot.
“That combination, Bull to me, is something we practice a lot in drills,” Saunchez added.
A foul kick into the box in the first half.
A first half throw in.
Strong defense and excellent goalkeeping from the New Haven club paved the way to the 2 – 0 victory. Elm City keeper Matt Jones earned his clean sheet with impressive saves throughout the match.
Head coach Teddy Haley said his young club has benefited from top-notch defending in its inaugural season.
“We’ve got such experience in the back with Matt Jones, and our back four is phenomenal,” Haley told the Independent. “The amount of clean sheets we’ve had, and against good teams, has been really helpful in this run.”
The young club’s success is not going unnoticed. Fans filled Reese Stadium, which seats about 1,250, nearly to capacity Saturday. The club even has two super-fan groups, the Brick Oven Brigade and the Yard Dogs, whose members sat behind the pitch’s eastern goal Saturday.
Battle for possession in the waning minutes of the second half.
The Brick Oven Brigade and the Yard Dogs.
After the final whistle blew, kids descended from the stands to play on the field and to get autographs from their favorite players. Friends and family of the team celebrated on the near sideline. Throngs of fans, smiling, laughing, even dancing, buzzed about the pitch under the Saturday night lights.
Haley said it was a special moment for a special team.
“They’re a great group of guys who play for each other … I can’t say enough about their character,” Haley said of his squad. “Hopefully we’ve got legs to have one more good result.”