On Friday night, Game #1 proved to be a battle of stamina for both teams down in Baltimore. After the Blast jumped out to a 5-1 lead, the Knights put together a comeback of the ages. Antonio Manfut, Slavisa Ubiparivpovic, and Darren Toby found the twine and got the Knights within a goal late in the fourth quarter. In a bold move, the Knights pulled the keeper and put in the extra attacker in the waning moments of regulation. With just :24 seconds left, Joey Tavernese got his shot past the keeper and knotted the game at five. It would then take three overtimes for a winner to be crowned. In the third overtime, Tony Donatelli would get the golden goal for the Blast and give them the 6-5 win and 1-0 lead in the series.
Sunday afternoon would spell a similar tale for both teams. Antonio Manfut got the scoring started and gave Syracuse a 1-0 lead after one quarter. However, Baltimore would counter with goals from Tony Donatelli and Pat Healy in the second, giving them a 2-1 lead at the half. Though the Knights would get goals from Boughton and Toby in the second half, the Blast would match them and hold on to win 4-3 and advance to the MASL semifinals against the Missouri Comets.
This year proved to be one for the ages for the Silver Knights. They faced and conquered several forms of adversity, including the uncertainty of the franchise going into the future and a heap of injuries midway through the season. They filled the War Memorial with fans for every home game and gave the crowds epic goals and fierce games. Successful promotions, including Star Wars Night and Joe Papeleo Night, provided great fun on and off the pitch. Overall, the Syracuse Silver Knights can be proud of their 2015-16 campaign and can be assured fans are eagerly waiting for the 2016-17 season.
There are now questions that come with the off-season. The biggest question being what league will the Knights play in for 2016-17. Though they have seen success in the Major Arena Soccer League, the promise of the Professional Indoor League (PIL) from Baltimore may lead the Knights into another new soccer territory. Others wonder who will return to the team or who will be brought in. Of course, The Fair Cuse Sports Report will be your leading source for all the latest Silver Knights news this off-season and next season. It is also great to announce that The Fair Cuse Sports Report will be covering Silver Knights players over the summer as they take their talents to the outdoor pitch. This includes covering the reigning USL Champion Rochester Rhinos, Greater Binghamton FC Thunder, AFC Cleveland, and the newly formed Rochester River Dogz of the NPSL. So keep checking here at The Fair Cuse Sports Report for all your local soccer news you won't see any where else in Central New York!
Thanks/Credits:
Syracuse Silver Knights at syracusesilverknights.com