MELBOURNE, Fla. – The draws keep piling up for Orlando City B while Wilmington Hammerheads FC mustered a dramatic equalizer while playing down a man for nearly 40 minutes. Liam Miller’s stoppage-time equalizer helped the Hammerheads to a 2-2 draw against OCB on Saturday at the Titan Soccer Complex. It was a match of numerous swings, with Orlando holding two leads – one after a Michael Cox penalty kick and Tony Rocha with an 82nd-minute go-ahead score. Ashani Fairclough had tallied early in the second half, and the Hammerheads created a big hole four minutes later when leading goal-scorer Bruno Perone was sent off. Wilmington moves to 6-7-6 (24 points) overall and 3-4-3 on the road. OCB is now 6-6-7 (25 points) overall and 3-4-5 at home. Orlando extended its unbeaten streak to seven games (2-0-5), but with four consecutive draws has missed out on the potential to grab some additional points. Wilmington defeated Orlando 2-1 on March 26 at the Titan Soccer Complex, which was OCB’s USL debut match. The two teams will square off one more time during the regular season on Sept. 7 at Wilmington’s Legion Stadium.

Scoring:
27’ – ORL – Michael Cox (penalty)
48’ – WIL – Ashani Fairclough (Logan Miller)
82’ – ORL – Tony Rocha
90’+ – WIL – Liam Miller (Logan Miller)

Three Things That Mattered:

• 1. Liam Miller’s first goal of the season came in the dying seconds of the match as shorthanded Wilmington pushed numbers forward to try and do anything to grab a road point. Logan Miller dropped the ball off to Liam Miller who found the upper right corner of the frame to tie the score at 2-2. It was a massive moment for the Hammerheads who had conceded a Tony Rocha goal just eight minutes earlier and were playing shorthanded for much of the half following Bruno Perone’s sending off.

• 2. Newly signed Michael Binns made his first appearance and start for the Hammerheads on Sunday. The Jamaican played a significant role in set piece opportunities throughout the match, and he was responsible for the setup work toward the opening goal. Binns took a deep left-footed corner kick from the right as Logan Miller headed it toward the edge of the six to Ashani Fairclough. Fairclough stuck his right foot out and redirected the ball into the back of the net to tie the score at 1-1 in the 48th minute.

• 3. Having previously posted back-to-back scoreless draws, Orlando certainly had to have felt some relief tallying a first-half goal to break that trend. OCB drew a penalty kick in the 26th minute thanks to some strong interplay between Obekop and Neal. Obekop received the ball in a dangerous spot and was taken down by Wilmington’s Liam Miller. Michael Cox took the subsequent PK in the 27th minute and calmly placed a low right-footed shot into the lower left corner as Hammerheads goalkeeper Eric Ati guessed the opposite direction. Cox leads OCB with seven goals this season. With Cox and Rocha tallying for Orlando, it was still a bitter pill to swallow for the club as it had every opportunity to take the maximum three points. 

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match:
Liam Miller, Wilmington Hammerheads FC – When it looked like an equalizer was not in the cards, Miller came through with a massive score in stoppage time to grab a road point while playing down a man.

Upcoming Games:
Orlando City B at Louisville City FC – July 30, 7:30 p.m. ET, Slugger Field
Wilmington Hammerheads FC vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds – July 30, 7 p.m. ET, Legion Stadium