Fury continue march up USL standings
Crepeau posts fifth straight shutout in victory over Bethlehem Steel
It took less than a minute for Ottawa Fury FC to take control against the Bethlehem Steel on Friday night.
Just the same, they needed yet another shutout performance from goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau — his fifth consecutive clean sheet — to walk out of TD Place with a victory.
With three victories and two draws in those five games, the Fury is suddenly making a mad dash up the United Soccer League standings.
Kevin Oliveira provided all the offence the Fury needed a mere 44 seconds into the game. From there, the Fury displayed a solid defensive effort in front of Crepeau.
Impressive, yes, but they might have made it a tad easier on themselves by cashing in on a few more chances. Captain Carl Haworth hit the post not once, not twice, but three times, keeping the Steel alive in a contest where much of the action was played in the visitors’ end.
Ultimately, Crepeau preserved the victory by getting a piece of a Jeremy Rafanello shot in the 69th minute. Crepeau’s shutout string, dating back to April 28, is now 463 minutes. And counting.
“You’re more confident, yes, it takes a little more pressure off your shoulders,” Crepeau said of the early Oliveira goal. “But you still have to be focused mentally because you know if there’s one ball in, like Nana (Attakora) saved one, one ball and you’re screwed. You have to be really focused.”
Indeed, Attakora — playing his first game of the year after suffering a pre-season ankle injury — earned player of the game honours in large part due to his game-saving clearing attempt in the 42nd minute.
The Fury displayed superb defence in front of Crepeau throughout. The men of Steel hit a brick wall, failing to get a single shot through until the 22nd minute, but Crepeau’s shutout streak looked like it might be over in the 42nd minute when Santi Moar slipped behind him on what appeared to be a clear path to the net.
But thanks to a controversial clearing attempt by Attakora, the ball stayed out.
Moar was in amazement that Attakora’s sliding clearing attempt — clipping the ball a split-second before making contact with the Steel player — was deemed legal, throwing his hands on his head and racing to referee Pierre-Luc Lauziere to plead his case. Lauziere was having nothing of it, though. Even though Moar’s teammates tried to calm him down, Moar persisted, eventually earning himself a yellow card for complaints that went on far too long.
“The situation started with what you could say was our centre backs not communicating,” Attakora said. “We left Crepeau in no man’s land. That was just kind of like — if they score, it’s on us. That’s not on anyone else but myself actually. That’s why I had to put that effort.”
Crepeau entered the game having not allowed a goal in four-plus games dating back to April 28.
His stellar play has also raised the possibility that at some point the Fury’s parent squad — Major League Soccer’s Montreal Impact — could bring the Montreal native home to play on the bigger-league stage.
The Fury went into the game looking up — way up — at Bethlehem in the standings.
With a record of four wins, four losses and two draws, the Steel sat fifth in the USL before Friday ’s action.
The Fury, meanwhile, were a distant 14th thanks to an overall record of two wins, four losses and a trio of draws.
Anyone not in their seats at the outset missed Oliveira’s goal in the opening minute. After Bethlehem goalkeeper Jake McGuire came out in an attempt to the cut off Oliveira’s angle, the Fury sniper banked a shot off the inside of the far post. The ball barely crossed the goal-line as McGuire dove in a vain attempt to keep it out.
Haworth’s first post of the night came in the 44th minute. With McGuire down and completely out of the play, the ball bounced directly back to Haworth, who was staring at a wide-open net. Haworth, however, shot the rebound wide to the short side. He, too, threw his hands in the air in disbelief that he missed from there.
After some dazzling moves to put himself in the clear in the 51st minute, Haworth again beat McGuire — but not the post — in an attempt to extend the Fury lead to 2-0. Haworth also put a header off the post following a corner kick in the second half.
“Just keeping working hard,” Attakora said of Haworth. “He’s doing everything for us. He’s defending, little things that maybe most people don’t even see. Carl is so important to this team. He’s going to score. He’s getting his chances.”
The victory was an ideal way for the Fury to kick off a three-game homestand.
The Fury are back in action at TD Place Wednesday against Toronto FC II and take on the Charlotte Independence on June 2, also at TD Place.