Two goals by Mauro Biello, both on penalty kicks, lifted the Montreal Impact to a 2-1 win over the Connecticut Wolves in front of a season high 3,557 fans.
After a tentative start, no doubt due to the rain and sloppy pitch, the Impact put it into gear around the 30th minute of play. Defender Carl Fletcher earned a yellow card after he slammed into a Connecticut player at the 32nd minute. On the very next play, Wolves forward Patrick Beech let a shot go from the free kick that bounced off the goal post and dribbled in past Impact keeper Greg Sutton. The Impact did not give up and just three minutes later, Biello, charging in on the Wolves net, was tripped inside the box resulting in a penalty kick. A well aimed shot to the right beat keeper Bill Gatti and tied the score.
The goal seemed to charge up the Impact players as they started to play more aggressively. Midfielder Patrice Bernier led the attack and played a beautiful pass to teammate George Papandreou who shot just wide of the Wolves net. With just a few minutes to play in the half, Biello took a free kick from outside the box but shot it just a few feet over the bar.
In the second half, the Impact defence shut the door. Veteran defenceman Randy Samuel was particularly impressive, as was Patrick Diotte who was playing in his 300th career regular season professional game. In the 54th minute, on a corner kick, Biello played a perfect pass to Fletcher who headed the ball just wide.
Goalkeeper Gatti hurt his leg a few minutes later and had to be helped off the field. Backup Adam Throope took over but was not tested too severely until the 77th minute when teammate Max Zieky earned a red card for a handball in the box. The resulting penalty kick was taken by Biello who let another steady shot go to the right while Throope dove left. Biello, who before this game had never taken a penalty kick in his career, was named player of the game for his two goals and gritty effort.
The Impact kept pressing for the third goal but was denied by Throope and the crossbar. Forward Niall Thompson bounced one off the bar just before full time.
After the game, Impact coach Valerio Gazzola was all smiles saying, "We played a smart game." He also congratulated Biello on his 49th and 50th career goals. Biello deflected the praise simply saying, "We needed this win. (It was) a big game for us tonight." Midfielder Lloyd Barker, who had a strong game at midfield, echoed his teammate's sentiments, saying, "We keyed on their key players. We shut them down."
Lineups:
Montreal: Sutton-Samuel, Fletcher, Diotte, Limniatis (Pizzolitto 70)-Barker, Biello, Bernier, Oliviero (Placentino)-Thompson, Papandreou. Substitutes not used: Larkin (GK), Clarke, Leduc, Corneli, Kolic.
Connecticut: Gatti (Throope 62)-Dancy (Zieky 9), Eyre, Sewell, Soto-Griffiths, Oparaku, Zuniga, Suarez-Beech, Oyuga. Substitutes not used: Jackson, Nealis, Rudolph, Kelly.
Goals: Connecticut-Beech (32); Montreal- Biello (36 PK, 77 PK)
Cautions: Connecticut-Soto (7); Montreal-Thompson (26), Fletcher (32)
Ejections: Connecticut-Zieky (77); Montreal-None
Conditions: Rain for the first 10 minutes. Wet pitch. 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Attendance: 3,557
Three Stars: 1) Biello, 2) Diotte, 3) Barker
