June 30, 2017 USL Toronto FC II--Toronto FC II vs Harrisburg City Islanders match preview (from cityislanders.com)
MATCH PREVIEW: Islanders Take On Toronto FC II Posted on June 30, 2017 After grabbing their first win in over two months, the Harrisburg City Islanders are heading on the road for a matchup against Toronto FC II on Saturday, July 1 at 5 pm. This is the first meeting between the two Eastern Conference foes this season and both teams are looking to get on a roll to accrue some points before the midway point of the season. Harrisburg earned three points in their last match to get them out of the last place in the conference and just six points out of a playoff spot, while Toronto now occupies the final spot in the conference. The Islanders got some much needed offensive production from Pedro Ribeiro in the last match. Ribeiro missed his first shot from the spot on a penalty kick but made up for it later in the 54th minute when he scored his first goal of the season. Along with his goal, he had a few other chances to build on the Islanders lead. Paul Wilson and Cardel Benbow both made impacts in the game with their speed and skill down the wings to help spread the defense out. Harrisburg’s defense has been a strong point for the team all season. It has been what kept them in games to earn crucial draws when the offense was struggling. The Islanders have used a combination of players in the back end and all have played extremely well. Brandon Miller is rounding back into form following a few games off with an injury. In the past two games, Miller has only given up one goal on 19 total shots and has made a few highlight reel saves to keep the Islanders in the game. The team got Travis Brent back last game and Lee Nishanian will be eligible to play following his one-game suspension due to a red card. Toronto has also had trouble scoring and, like the Islanders, also only have one win in their last five matches. In 15 games, Toronto has scored six goals and has two goals in their last six games. There is no lead scorer as Toronto has six goal scorers all with one goal a piece. With a win, Harrisburg will be three points out of a playoff spot with a few games in hand as well. Harrisburg will stay on the road to take on the Rochester Rhinos on Saturday, July 8 at 6:05 p.m.
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