WHEN A TIE IS A WIN
Knights draw, clinch Open Cup berth
Manchester, N.H. -- A draw turned into a major victory for the Brooklyn Knight Sunday.
The Knights clinched a berth in the Lamar Hunt/U.S. Open Cup with a 1-1 tie with the New Hampshire Phantoms in a Premier Development Legaue encounter at Manchester Memorial High School.
The Knights, who extended their lead in the Northeast Division by a point over the Newark Ironbound Express, qualified for the Open Cup for the first time in their 11-year history.
The tie gave the Knights a 3-0-1 record in Cup qualifying competition and a 3-1-1 overall mark and 10 points. The undefeated Phantoms (2-0-2, eight) needed a victory to clinch an Open Cup spot.
After a scoreless opening half, the tide began to turn when the Phantoms’ Paulson Edum was red-carded in the 57th minute.
Two minutes later, the Knights grabbed a 1-0 lead. Phantoms goalkeeper Tim Murray saved a shot, but the rebound was not cleared away. Brooklyn midfielder and former St. John’s standout Matia Damiani slotted the ball home.
New Hampshire equalized on a penalty kick by Joe Annese, but the Knights were able to hold off the hosts.
The Knights next will host the Ottawa Fury at Aviator Field in Brooklyn, N.Y. Saturday, May 31 at 8:30 p.m.
The Fredericksburg Gunners and St. Louis Lions also qualified for the Cup from the PDL. The Gunners posted a perfect qualifying record after it blanked the Rhode Island Stingrays at home, 1-0. The Lions earned a spot behind a 2-2 tie at Kansas City.
Two spots remain to be filled to complete the PDL field, both of which will be decided Monday.
The Michigan Bucks visit Cleveland Internationals to determine the final Central Conference berth. A win or draw will get Michigan in, while Cleveland must win to qualify.
In the Southern Conference, Central Florida visit Bradenton to settle the Southeast Division berth. The situation is the same as in the Central, Central Florida is in with a win or draw, while Bradenton must win outright
