Reading Rage News Release - www.bsarage.com
Friday, July 10, 2009
READING, PA - The Reading Rage entered Friday night’s contest against the Fredericksburg Gunners as the hottest team in the Premier Development League (PDL.) They did not disappoint either, using an energetic, complete team effort, and two early goals by Luke Mulholland to earn a commanding 6-1 victory over the outmatched Gunners.
The win clinched a playoff berth and edged the Rage closer to their number goal of the season, wrapping up the number one overall playoff seed.
The Rage came out firing early and often, as they challenged Fredericksburg goaltender Emmett Rudkwski with 12 first half shots. Midway through the first half the Rage finally broke through with the first goal of the game in the 37th minute.
Jon Ports drove up the left side of the pitch and worked the ball into the box before passing off to Luke Mulholland at the last minute. Mulholland took advantage of an open right side of the net and deposited the ball into the back of the net giving the Rage a 1-0 lead.
The second half was no different as the Rage ran the Gunners up and down the pitch and carried their dominating play over to the final 45 minutes.
Luke Mulholland wasted no time in extending the Rage’s lead as he poked home his second goal of the night on a pretty feed by Stephen Hogan in the 48th minute.
Three minutes later (51st) the game was all but decided as James Taranto streaked up the center of the pitch and let a shot rip through the night. Rudkwski made the save but to no avail as Taranto relentlessly gathered his rebound and placed a perfect second shot past the goal tender to push the Rage’s lead to three.
Aarron Wheeler (Assist Adam Gazda) would tack on a fourth goal in the 68th minute before tensions boiled over in the 73rd minute. Aarron Wheeler and Lance Nelson of the Gunner’s both went up for a head ball near midfield. Nelson proceeded to take out Wheeler’s legs in the air and earn an early trip to the showers with a red card, but not before the benches cleared and play was stopped for nearly five minutes.
The teams traded off on three more goals from the 81st-83rd minute as Adam Welch (assist Stephen Hogan) gave the Rage a 5-0 lead in the 81st minute. The Gunners got on the board for the first time with an 82nd minute goal by Ouesimea Ikumsea, which he put back against newly entered Rage keeper Anthony Ponikvar. The final goal came off the foot of Dawyne Rick Smith in the 83rd minute as he beat Rudkwski one final time, giving the Rage a 6-1 lead.
The Rage battled hunger all night, in more than one way. One of the largest crowds of the season came out to support the Rage’s hunger for goals as well as their annual fight against hunger. Perfect game day weather for the first time in recent weeks also helped to lure many fans to the pitch who were deterred by storms in recent weeks.
The team returns home Friday, July 17th against the Virginia Legacy as they look to wrap up a PDL Mid Atlantic Division title and the number overall playoff seed.
