Team                  1 2 Final
Orlando City U23s     0 0 0
Panama City Pirates   0 1 1

Scoring Summary:
PAN- Mikey Lightbourne (David Malloy) 61’

Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City U23s- GK Tomas Gomez, Def Mike Millay (Derek McCaffrey 77’), Kyle Fisher, Andrew Clare, Tom Skelly, Mid David Graydon, Itode Fubara, Paul Clowes, Nicolas Russo (Nick Sowers 67’), For Francisco Vizcaino (Troy Peterson 51’), Tyler Blackwood

Panama City Pirates- GK Sean Lewis, Tain Souza, Andrew Beasley (Mikey Lightbourne 21’), Drew Russell, Josh McCrary, Mid Calvin Louback (Tyler Fabian 80’), Brandon Barbero, Ricardo Olivera, Nasser Charif, For Matt Raines (Will Monsour 70’), David Malloy

Penalty Summary:
ORL- Nicolas Russo (Yellow Card) 39’

Match Facts:
Time of Match: 5:00 p.m. EST
Weather: Cloudy
Attendance: 83

Panama City Beach Pirates Top Orlando City U23s 1-0
Pirates defeat City for the second time this season, breaking Lions’ four game winning streak

SANFORD, Fla.— The Orlando City U23s fell to the Panama City Beach Pirates 1-0 on Saturday, June 22, at the Seminole Soccer Complex, in Sanford, Fla. The Pirates’ win marks their second over the U23s this season, breaking the Lions’ four game winning streak.

“I thought we looked a bit sluggish and tired today, due to playing three games this week,” said Head Coach Paul Shaw. “But no excuses, they were organized and better than us tonight.”

The Lions nearly got on the board in the 13th minute of play, when Striker Tyler Blackwood employed his quick feet to get by the Pirates’ defense on the touchline. The lethal striker unselfishly pulled the ball back for Midfielder Nicolas Russo, who had his effort cleared off the line in a last-ditch effort.

The Pirates defeated the U23s 1-0 earlier in the season, and were prepared to disrupt the Lions’ style of play heading into the match. Panama City spent the majority of the first half with numerous players behind the ball, hoping to convert on a counter-attack.

In the 27th minute, the Pirates’ tactics came close to working, when Striker Matt Raines got in behind the City defense. However, U23s Goalkeeper Tomas Gomez was sharp off his line and made a great save to keep the match scoreless. As a result, both sides headed into halftime tied 0-0, despite having clear-cut chances to score.

The second half began similarly to the first, as both sides continued to exchange chances, however the Pirates would capitalize on one of those chances, early in the second half.

In the 62nd minute of play, Pirates’ Striker David Malloy collected the ball in the Midfield and played a piercing through-ball, which split the U23s defense. Midfielder Mikey Lightbourne ran onto the ball in the open space, and placed his effort off the post and into the back of the net.

Moments later, the Lions came close to equalizing when Midfielder David Graydon was awarded a free-kick after being dragged down just outside the box in the 77th minute. Graydon curled a powerful effort just over the Pirates wall but Goalkeeper Sean Lewis made a finger-tip save to prevent the U23s from scoring.

In light of Graydon’s set piece, Panama spent the remainder of the match bunkering to ensure the clean sheet. The U23s remained adamant in their efforts to press forward in search of an equalizer, but they were unable to break down Panama’s strong defensive lines- resulting in a 1-0 loss.

The loss marks Panama’s second victory over the Lions this season, and breaks their four game win streak. The Lions will now travel to Trinity High School to take on Ocala Stampede on Saturday, June 29. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

About Orlando City Soccer Club:
Orlando City Soccer Club (OCSC) is a premier professional soccer sports franchise in the United States and is a member of the USL PRO. The Lion’s pro team has won two regular season titles and one postseason championship during their short time in Orlando. Outside of the pro squad, OCSC also has their own youth club, Orlando City Youth Soccer (OCYS) and a U23s team that participates in the PDL. For more information on the pro and youth clubs, visit www.orlandocitysoccer.com and www.orlandocityyouth.org.

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