Photo courtesy of Mark Guthrel / Saint Louis FC
FENTON, Mo. – Bethlehem Steel FC found a strong second-half burst as Seku Conneh and captain James Chambers scored back-to-back to lead their side to a 2-1 victory against Saint Louis FC on Sunday at Toyota Stadium – Saint Louis. The goal overcame an early gaffe as Ken Tribbett was credited with an own goal to give STLFC an early lead in the third minute. This was the first match between the two clubs. Saint Louis was playing in the Western Conference last year and did not cross over to play Steel FC during Bethlehem’s 2016 debut season. Bethlehem has now gone unbeaten in three straight (2-0-1). Steel FC improves to 5-6-1 (16 points) overall and Saint Louis drops to 4-4-3 (15 points) overall and 3-2-0 at home.
Scoring:
3’ – STL – Own Goal (Ken Tribbett)
55’ – BST – Seku Conneh
74’ – BST – James Chambers (Seku Conneh)
#STLvBST: Full match and Opta box score
Three Things That Mattered:
1. Bethlehem’s primary point of attack this year has been Seku Conneh, as he added to his club single-season goal scoring record. Conneh notched his seventh of the season in the 55th minute to tie the score at 1-1. It was a rebound effort shortly after a deep Bethlehem throw-in from the right side. But the play of the game was a mix of Conneh’s vision and team captain James Chambers’ precision. In the 74th minute, Conneh possessed on the left side of the box and spotted Chambers awaiting above the box. Chambers found a channel and ripped a bending left-footed shot inside the left post to take a 2-1 lead.
2. Saint Louis wasted little time to break through Bethlehem’s defense in the first half. In the third minute, STLFC earned a free kick opportunity on the far left side of the pitch. Dragan Stojkov delivered a right-footed ball to jumpstart a chaotic pinball sequence as Saint Louis took a couple shots. Tyler David was in the mix with a touch, as well, and Steel FC’s Ken Tribbett ultimately put the ball into his own net. Tribbett was caught in a tough spot as it appeared as though he was hoping to clear the ball out of the six-yard area and over the crossbar, but ended up redirected it into the goal, giving Saint Louis the early 1-0 advantage.
3. Offense was simply hard to come by for both sides Saturday. The squads combined for only one shot on frame in the opening half. Then it took until just the 63rd minute for STLFC Head Coach Preki to make a substantial attack-minded switch with Octavio Guzman and Max Alvarez to replace Christian Volesky and Tyler David. It went beyond personnel though. Both teams were reliant in long-distance attempts and aside from Chambers’ shot, only broke through when there were some scrambling moments from close range. Seven of Bethlehem’s eight shots were from outside the box and five of Saint Louis’ shots were outside of the 18.
USLSoccer.com Man of the Match:
Seku Conneh, Bethlehem Steel FC – With his seventh goal and a second-half assist to James Chambers, Conneh and Steel FC capitalized with just enough offense for a big road win.
Upcoming Games:
Saint Louis FC at FC Cincinnati – June 24, 7 p.m. ET, Nippert Stadium
Bethlehem Steel FC at New York Red Bulls II – June 16, 7 p.m. ET, MSU Soccer Park
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