New Hampshire Phantoms Press Release - www.nhphantoms.com

Friday, May 8, 2009

HOOKSET, NH - After a tough home opener, the Phantoms hit the road to face a grueling task of four consecutive road games before returning home on May 22 to face Ocean City. In a home opener last Saturday that saw the Phantoms dominate the run of play for most of the game against New Jersey, the club had to settle for a 1-1 draw on a late goal by Baran Doenmez.

“We just were not ready to play today, we had numerous opportunities to score but just could not finish.” said head coach Jim DeDeus.

The Phantoms will leave Saturday to face the Long Island Rough Riders, and then face Newark Ironbound Express on Sunday. The Rough Riders are an extremely experienced franchise having played in the USL First and Second Divisions. Saturday’s game against the Phantoms will be Long Island's season opener. Following Saturday’s game the Phantoms travel to Newark, NJ, and face Ironbound Express.

“We need a great effort this weekend to come away with positive results, these games are a great measuring point for our season,” said DeDeus.

The following weekend the Phantoms set out on another difficult road trip, this time to face the Westchester Flames and the Brooklyn Knights. The Knights are the defending Northeast Division Champions and are always difficult to handle at home. The Phantoms will look to put their mark on the season with a strong showing in New York.

The Phantoms return home on Saturday May 22 to host Ocean City. This game will be the final qualifying game for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The match is scheduled to be played at Southern New Hampshire University at 7:30 PM.