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Late Boost Leaves City Islanders Buzzing

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 04/18/17, 2:27PM EDT

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Harrisburg carries two-game winning streak into Tuesday clash with OCB


Photo courtesy Harrisburg City Islanders

HARRISBURG, Pa. – As he sent on Cardel Benbow with six minutes to go, Harrisburg City Islanders Head Coach Bill Becher believed the Jamaican forward would be a trump card in a tied game against Bethelehem Steel FC.

Five minutes later, Benbow proved to be Becher’s ace in the hole, as his low finish from the left side of the penalty area gave the City Islanders a 3-2 victory in their home opener at FNB Field.

"We knew that in a tight game, Cardel was a very good option for us because he can do what you saw him do tonight,” said Becher following the game. “He can get after people, he has the pace, and he can finish.”

Becher would likely have introduced Benbow earlier in the game, if not for the adjustment this offseason to the USL’s substitution rules that brought it in line with FIFA standards. Having already used two of his three replacements, Becher said he had to hold his third substitution.

“We had Cardel on our mind for a while, but once we had to use the second sub, it was difficult to bring him in any earlier than we did because if you get an injury, you're out of subs,” Becher said. “It worked tonight; Cardel went in and got the job done and that's something we expect from him.”

The goal was a thrill for Benbow, who had recorded four goals and four assists over his first two seasons with the club. Earning Harrisburg its second consecutive victory, the City Islanders have picked up a major boost in confidence going into Tuesday night’s game against Orlando City B.

"I feel great to just come off the bench and give my team what they expect,” said Benbow. “At the end of the day, we have to take each game one at a time, so we'll focus on Orlando, train hard, and have a positive attitude so that we come out of the next game with the same result.”

A win against Orlando would move the City Islanders within one point of first-place Louisville City FC in the Eastern Conference standings. While it’s still very early in the season, the club’s newcomers are appearing to fit in well as the City Islanders look to break a two-season absence from the USL Cup Playoffs.

“You always want to maximize your points at home,” said defender Lee Nishanian. “It gives us a lot of confidence knowing that we can get these results together, but we know that we have a lot of work to do. Our expectations this year are high and that's not a surprise to us. We know that we made it a lot closer than it needed to be tonight, but we'll come in on Monday, see what we can do to get better, and focus on Orlando on Tuesday.”

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