Saturday April 22, 2006
          Last night under stormy skies the Atlanta Silverbacks Men fell 3-1 to the Puerto Rico Islanders at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium. Despite the thunderstorms that interrupted the first half of play, Puerto Rico put away three goals in the first 45 minutes. The Silverbacks went into the locker room down three goals, but came back with a new intensity in the second half. In the 60th minute Fabian Dawkins delivered a ball to newcomer Liam George who finished the ball into the goal. The Silverbacks had numerous chances in the second half, but weren’t able to find the back of the net again.
          Head Coach Jason Smith commented on the game, “The game was a tale of two halves; the first half was in and out of rain delays and Puerto Rico came out and fought hard early.  We made adjustments at halftime and came out in the second half and dominated. It’s very difficult to come back from a 3-0 deficit, but we had quality chances and should have been able to tie the game.”
          The Silverbacks had seven shots on goal and four corner kicks during the match. Goalkeeper Shaun Kalnasy guarded the net during the game for the Silverbacks; Kalnasy recorded nine saves. Kalnasy wasn’t the only Silverback to play the whole game, six other players stayed in the entire 90 minutes: David Hayes, Tony McManus, Matt Bobo, Antonio De La Torre, Marlon Rojas, and Liam George.
          The game marks the first loss for the Silverbacks this season and leaves the team with a 0-1 record. The Silverbacks will have another chance to take on the Puerto Rico Islanders tomorrow, Sun., April 23 at 5:00 pm. Click here for the official match report.