The Stingrays started quickly when a goal by midfielder Matt Marcin in the 5th minute and defender Toussain McClure put them up 2-0 and in control of the game. <>They showed great touches with the ball and did not allow the Flames to recover. You can say there was some physical play, as the referee showed eight cards between both teams in the 1st half, including a red card to Flames’ midfielder Joseph Posillico.

The Flames started to heat things up in the 2nd half when defender Peter Antoniades set up a beautiful play for midfielder Huigens Garcia to score in the 71st minute and cut the score to 2-1.

Not too long after, Peter Antoniades was in the action again as his free kick from half field fluttered over the goalkeeper’s head and scored in the 75th minute to tie the game at 2-2.

Already having been down a player, Flames’ forward John Niyonsaba got into a slight scuffle with Stingrays’ goalie Kyle Bak, which caused both of them to get ejected.

Now having nine instead of eleven players on the field, the Flames had to fight and hustle harder to take the lead. They pressured the Stingrays throughout the 2nd half.

Both the Stingrays and the Flames had very close opportunities to change the scoreboard, as there were several shots off the post by both clubs.

The last game of the 2009 season came to a 2-2 draw. The Flames finish with a record of 3-8-5. Now the Flames must look forward to the 2010 season and put this disappointment behind them. As Flames head coach Gus Skoufis said to his team after the game “We must gain the positives and learn from our mistakes.”

By John Tolis