Nashville Metros News Release - www.nashvillemetrossoccer.com

Sunday, May 6, 2007

NASHVILLE, TN -- The Nashville Metros scored in the second minute of Sunday afternoon’s game and never looked back, earning a 4-2 victory over the visiting Palm Beach Pumas at Ezell Park Stadium in their first match of the 2007 season.

Four different Nashville players notched their first goals of the year as the Metros, still missing several top players who are finishing college for the year, outworked the talented Pumas to build a 3-0 lead, then staved off a late Palm Beach flurry to secure the win.

New Head Coach Rico Laise delivered on his pre-season pledge to field a stronger, faster and more exciting team this year, his first with the team since 1999. Nashville’s four goals marked its best offensive output since a 5-2 victory over the New Orleans Shell Shockers on May 21, 2005.

Nineteen-year-old Fynn Glover, one of six “Young Guns” signed by the Metros late last season from the Tennessee Futbol Club’s state champion U-18 team, earned Player of the Game honors with an assist on the team’s first goal and dominating midfield play. Veteran defender T.J. McCallum, in his fourth season, starred on the back line and also chipped in an assist.

The Metros wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as Glover brought the ball through the midfield in the 2nd minute against heavy pressure from Palm Beach. As he was being dragged down by the shirt by a defender, he played the ball through the defense to the waiting Eric “Zeus” Susewind on the left side. Susewind’s shot across the goal, the team’s first of the year, beat Pumas goalkeeper Rysard Gorski to the far corner of the net for the score.

The team took its 1-0 lead to the locker room at halftime, then began building on it early in the second half. In the game’s 51st minute, McCallum seemed to surprise Palm Beach as he made a long run up the right side. As the Pumas tried to scramble back defensively, he crossed a long ball to the left side of the goal for a wide-open Alex Lorenz, who had enough time to settle the long pass, make a move around Gorski and poke it into the goal.

Some hard work by Nashville and a careless defensive play by Palm Beach set up the Metros’ third goal just eight minutes later. Pressured by the Metros deep in his own territory, a Pumas defender played the ball lazily back to his goalkeeper in the hope of getting it cleared out of danger. But as Gorski came out for the ball, hustling Metros veteran Mark Photivihok came charging forward just behind it. Photivihok, Gorski and the ball all collided at the same time near the top of Palm Beach’s penalty area. As the ball bounced away, Photivihok was the first to his feet, giving him an easy shot into the undefended Pumas net for a 3-0 Nashville advantage.

The Pumas finally got on the scoreboard in the 65th minute on a beautiful crossing pass from the right side by Robert Holstein, who found an undefended Josh Sharpe on the left of the goal. He pounded his header past Metros rookie goalkeeper Billy Hale to close the margin to 3-1.

The Pumas made the game interesting in the 84th minute when Holstein was able to volley a fine pass from Ainsley Deer into the goal to narrow the Nashville lead to a single goal.

But the Metros responded just six minutes later as they counterattacked from a Palm Beach midfield turnover. Late substitute Josh Stewart had a clean breakaway against Gorski but as he tried to maneuver around him for an open shot, got fouled in the penalty area by a recovering Pumas defender. The successful penalty kick by third-year Metros veteran Fritz Seilbea sealed the Nashville victory.

The Metros take their unbeaten record on the road next week as they take on the Cary (N.C.) Railhawks on Thursday night, then face a stern test on Saturday night in Greensboro, N.C. against the Carolina Dynamo, a team that compiled an undefeated 14-0-2 record last year.

For more information on the Metros, visit the team’s web site at NashvilleMetrosSoccer.com