'Stangs slam Seattle
Jesic scores pair to end Calgary's winless skid
By DARREN FRIESEN -- Calgary Sun
The Calgary Mustangs have the Seattle Sounders singing the blues. The West Coast A-League soccer club had high hopes of beating the last- place Mustangs and closing in on a playoff berth.
Instead, Calgary, which hadn't won in nine games, gave the visitors a sound 3-0 thrashing yesterday at McMahon Stadium.
"You've got to take one thing into consideration," said Mustangs head coach Thomas Niendorf about his team's first win in almost a month.
"We've played most of the season without Aaron Richer and Mike Pavicic, who are both key players on the back end.
"This helped us play defensively solid and, like most of the teams in the A-League, you can utilize good defence and then create good scoring chances for the attackers, which is what happened."
The home side came out fired up yesterday and opened the scoring in the 12th minute. Early pressure from Calgary caused a scramble inside Seattle's box, which eventually put the ball on the foot of Mustang midfielder Damir Jesic.
Jesic opened the scoring after his shot was deflected off a Seattle defender and past Sounders starting goalie Preston Burpo.
"The past few games we've really been coming together as a team and that really showed (yesterday)," said Jesic, one of the leftovers from last year's defunct Calgary Storm.
"We still believe in each other. It was just a matter of time before things started to click.
"We knew we could do it and, even if we failed, we were ready to go again and not back down."
Calgary's second goal was highlight-reel quality.
Midfielder Mesut Murt fired a laser under the bar in the 32nd minute from nearly 35 yards out.
After that, Calgary carried the play for the remainder of the first half. Seattle's only real chance came on a rare Calgary defensive breakdown near the end of the opening stanza. However, Mustangs 'keeper Lutz Pfannenstiel was equal to the challenge and easily stopped the weak strike directed his way.
Calgary iced the game when Jesic put home his second of the match during second-half injury time.
According to Niendorf, the confidence for yesterday's win came from a tough 1-1 draw Friday against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
"In Vancouver, we were up against a team that hadn't conceded a goal in five games," said Niendorf.
"In that game, we made sure in the first half to establish a good solid defensive system and not allow them too many opportunities.
"It was the same (yesterday). We were organizing properly and shifting right, which then moved us forward. This is a result of having a consistent lineup on the field."
With Richer and Pavicic both returning to the pitch, the Mustangs are finally pleased with the lineup they can field.
"We have now the solid lineup that we've wanted to play all season with," explained Niendorf.
"Now we can start playing the same team game in and game out."
