July 3, 2010 - New Orleans, LA
Despite conceding an early goal to the New Orleans Jesters, Mississippi Brilla FC was able to rebound in the second half to win 3-2.
Brilla traveled to Pan American Stadium in New Orleans for their second of three meetings with the Jesters this season. Brilla took the season opener at home with a 5-0 victory on May 11. Neither team was putting much stock in the earlier result as both of them are aware how quickly fortunes change in the Premier Development League, and were preparing for a tough matchup on Saturday.
Mississippi was forced to field a different lineup than usual after several players were out with injuries. Four changes to the usual starting lineup meant that some players had to play out of their normal positions, and others had to step into the starting lineup off of the bench.
New Orleans started the match quickly, putting pressure on Brilla from the first whistle. Brilla looked unorganized and confused in the beginning, giving away possession of the ball too easily, and were unable to cope with the intensity of the Jesters. In the 15th minute, Ederson Lopes pounced on a loose ball in the Brilla box and knocked it into the top corner of the net to give the Jesters a 1-0 lead. Despite having several other good chances, the Jesters were unable to extend the lead before halftime.
After the break, Brilla regrouped and started putting passes together. Finally, in the 68th minute, Brilla winger Nick Rich took a chance on a near post shot. Jesters ’keeper Juan Robles got down for the save, but was unable to keep the ball from squeaking through his legs and into the net to knot the game at 1-1.
Five minutes later, Mississippi sub Phillip Buffington’s one touch finish from a Nick Rich assist put Brilla ahead. Buffington would add a second in the very next minute to put Brilla up 3-1 in the 74th minute.
In the 78th, Jesters attacker Carl Reynolds would pull one back for New Orleans after benefitting from a misplayed ball in the Brilla box. He calmly knocked it by Mississippi ’keeper Andy Goellner to bring the Jesters back within a goal.
Mississippi weathered the storm for the remaining minutes to keep them on pace with Baton Rouge for the two Southeast Division playoff spots. Currently, Baton Rouge leads the division with 24 points after 10 games played, while Brilla have 21 with 9 games played. The Atlanta Blackhawks are in third place with 19 points and 11 games played.
Brilla returns home to host the Capitals on Thursday, July 8th at 7:00 at Harper Davis Field at Millsaps College. The match is an important one for both teams. A win for either will be a huge step toward securing a spot in the playoffs. In their earlier meeting this year, A 10-man Brilla came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw in Baton Rouge.
