Team               1    2    Final
Orlando City U23s  1    1    2
Laredo Heat        0    1    1

Scoring Summary:
OC – Nicolas Russo (unassisted) 29
OC - Drew Helm (Jonathan Mendoza) 49
LH - Hector Vallejo (penalty) 53

Misconduct Summary:
LH - Emmanuel Frios (Caution; Dissent) 30
LH - Martin Moreno (Caution; Dissent) 30
OC – Drew Helm (Caution; Unsporting behavior) 32
LH - Juan de Dios Ibarra (Ejection; Dissent) 38
OC - Sean Reynolds (Caution; Unsporting behavior) 44
OC - Joseph Toby (Caution; Unsporting behavior) 55
OC - Moses Aduny (Caution; Unsporting behavior) 72

Lineups:
Orlando City – Brendan Moore, Joseph Toby, Will Fransden, Sean Reynolds, Oumar Diakhite, Nicolas Russo (Anthony Arico 60), Verneri Valimaa (David Graydon 57), Jonathan Mendoza (Ryan Griffin 89), Sam Fairhurst, Alexander Macdonald, Drew Helm (Moses Aduny 65, Gonzalo De Mujica 85)

Substitutes not used: Charles Sanders, Johan Bergfeld

Laredo Heat – Emmanuel Frios, Carlos Ordaz (Adan Villavincencio 78), Camilo Botero, Martin Moreno, Max Gunderson, Gregory Nulomba (Gabriel Muniz 90), Juan de Dios Ibarra, Luis De la Vega, Hector Vallejo, Daniel Garza (Juan Lozoya 67), Irving Villanueva (Juan Nava 46, Horacio Leal 77)

Substitutes not used: Jesus Cisneros, Walter Anorvo

Ocala, Fla. - The Orlando City U23s advanced to the PDL Southern Conference Final with a 2-1 victory over the Laredo Heat.  The Lions will face either the Ocala Stampede or the Austin Aztex in on Sunday.

Laredo started the first half hot, pushing forward with several attacks in the first five minutes.  After weathering the storm, the Lions regained composure and went on the offensive.  Possession, a hallmark of the Orlando City system, soon favored the Lions, resulting in a turn of the tide.  Drew Helm and Nicolas Russo pushed forward relentlessly, but struggled to create a serious scoring chance. 

That all changed with a long ball out of the Lions’ half.  Laredo’s back line held up, expecting an offside call.  The referee’s flag stayed down, leaving Russo one-on-one.  He rounded Heat Goalkeeper Emmanuel Frios, then tapped it in for an easy score.  The entire Heat squad protested the lack of an offside call, but the goal stood.  Frios and Martin Moreno earned yellow cards for their protest.

The game changed for good in the 38th minute.  After Johnny Mendoza was taken down just outside the 18, Laredo’s Juan de Dios Ibarra confronted Head Referee Joshua Thompson.  After a flurry of fiery words from Ibarra, he was sent off.  Laredo played the remainder of the match with 10 men.  The game went to the break without any further fireworks.

The Lions came out strong in the second half.  Four minutes in, Mendoza found Helm in space inside the 18, and drove in a cross.  Helm dove and redirected the ball into the upper 90, out of the reach of Frios for the Lions second score of the night.

With a two goal lead and a man advantage, the Lions shifted into game-killing mode.  Laredo pushed hard to stay in the game, committing more and more players into the attack with every passing minute.  The Heat were rewarded for their efforts when Joseph Toby brought down Hector Vallejo inside the box.  Vallejo converted the penalty, and brought life back to the game.

The reawakened Lions resumed their attacks, knowing that two goals may not be enough.  Mendoza and Moses Aduny combined for a few close calls, but could not convert another scoring chance.  Fortunately for the Lions, it would not be necessary as Laredo began to fade under the Florida Sun.

The U23s will face off against the winner of the second semifinal between rival Ocala Stampede or the Austin Aztex on Sunday.  Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m. at Trinity Catholic High School.  The winner of Sunday’s match will be crowned the Southern Conference Champion and advance to the PDL National Semifinal.  Orlando City will host the Semifinal on Sunday, July 29, should the Lions advance.  For more on the Orlando City U23s, visit www.orlandocitysoccer.com.