Strikers 1, Stars 0

Martin Nunez scored the game’s only goal midway through the second half as the Fort Lauderdale Strikers won their third straight game Wednesday night at the expense of the Minnesota Stars to ruin an otherwise perfect evening for the 1,465.

The Stars entered the match on the heels of two straight wins over the Montreal Impact but saw that streak end with their second home loss of the season. With the win, the Strikers won the four-game season series between the teams with a record of two wins and two draws.

The game nearly started with a bang for Minnesota when on-loan midfielder Scott Lorenz hit a dipping volley just over the bar. Devin Del Do put a shot on goal in the 20th minute, and he and Justin Davis couldn’t quite connect about 10 minutes before halftime. The Stars enjoyed prolonged spells of possession for much of the first half, content to wait for the right moment to test Fort Lauderdale goalkeeper Matt Glaeser, who finished the night with three saves.

The Strikers, on the other hand, seemed content to shoot on sight, as they finished the game with 14 shots, including eight on goal. Many of the shots were contested or saved easily by Stars goalkeeper Joe Warren, who finished the match with seven saves. Warren did well to stop a Strikers fast break in the first half but finished the half largely untested.

There was little Warren could do about the Strikers goal as the visitors hit with a swift counter attack in the 67th. Brian Shriver broke down the right side, to win a through ball, passing up a shot from an angle to drag the ball back to the penalty spot, where Nunez finished into the side netting as defenders Cristiano, Justin Davis and Kyle Altman all lunged to close his space.

The Stars pushed forward with urgency after the goal, with Chris Clements bringing a diving save out of Glaeser with a tight-angle shot. With the Stars committed forward, Shriver and substitute David Santamaria were lively in the counterattack, each forcing a save from Warren in the game’s closing stages.

The Stars had a few half chances for an equalizer late in the game, but were unable to test Glaeser from a corner and a Lorenz free kick from the edge of penalty area.

With the loss, the Stars fall to 7-5-7 on the season and are in a tie for third place in the North American Soccer League with FC Tampa Bay, who they meet Saturday in Florida. The Strikers improved their season record to 6-5-9 and are only a point behind Minnesota and Tampa. The Stars’ next three games are on the road before returning home August 27 for a 7 p.m. match with the Montreal Impact.

Match Recap

Minnesota Lineup (4-4-2): Joe Warren, Justin Davis, Kyle Altman, Cristiano, Chris Clements, Scott Lorenz, Kentaro Takada, Neil Hlavaty (Ryan Woods 67), Lucas Rodriguez (Jeff Cosgriff 79), Tino Nunez (Amani Walker 61)

Fort Lauderdale Lineup (3-5-2): Matt Glaeser, Tony Stahl, Martyn Lancaster, Scott Gordon, Adam West (David Santamaria 73), Mike Palacio (Paulinho LePetit 65), Bryan Arguez, Gerson Mayen, Walter Restrepo (Yoximar Granado 85), Brian Shriver, Martin Nunez

Scoring Summary
FTL: Nunez (Shriver) 67

Misconduct Summary
MIN – Hlavaty, caution (dissent) 27
FTL – Palacio, caution (unsporting behavior) 63
MIN – Cristiano, caution (unsporting behavior) 83
MIN – Clements, caution (dissent) 89

Statistics
MIN: 7 shots (3 on goal), 1 corner kick, 1 offside, 11 fouls, 7 saves
FTL: 14 shots (8 on goal), 3 corner kicks, 3 offside, 12 fouls, 3 saves

Attendance: 1,465