Friday June 30, 2006

      The Atlanta Silverbacks Men took the Southern Derby Cup tonight with a 1-0 win over the Charleston Battery; the team remains undefeated at home. Scott Buete saved the day for the Silverbacks with the lone goal of the match; Buete also scored the only goal in the Atlanta’s win over Charleston last weekend. The win bumped the Silverbacks, now 4-4-3, in front of the Battery and into ninth place in the USL First Division. Tonight’s match was the fourth and final match between the two teams for the 2006 regular season.
        Head Coach Jason Smith commented on tonight’s win, “I’m very excited about winning the Southern Derby; I was concerned because it is extremely difficult to beat the same team three times in a row. I thought we controlled the game in the first half and did what was necessary to protect the lead in the second half.” 
       In the first half, the Silverbacks' leading scorer - Jason McLaughlin, split open his head. While he was able to finish the half, he had to get stitches during half time. Atlanta managed to pull ahead 1-0 with another goal from Buete in the 38th minute. Atlanta worked the ball into the Charleston box, and a scuffle for the ball ensued. Josh Smith then played the ball to Buete who finished the ball into the right side net. Buete celebrated by running into the stands to greet his family in town from Maryland. Atlanta had two more chances just before the end of the half, but could not convert. Rodrigo Rios and Joe Afful each had an attacking header, but sent both of them over the bar. Charleston’s best chance came in the 7th minute, when Omar Daley cracked a shot from the top of the box. The ball hit the inside of the left post and bounced out.
      Both teams came out in the second half looking to score. The Battery had some good chances but the Silverbacks were able to hold onto the win. Atlanta’s best chance came in the 75th minute -Rios played a back heel to Liam George who passed the ball to Machel Millwood. Millwood took the ball into the box and ripped a shot that went over the crossbar. The Silverbacks suffered some tense moments towards the end of the match with the Battery receiving multiple corners. The Atlanta defense held tight, however, and kept the shutout. Another Buete goal was all the Silverbacks needed to finish off the Battery.
       Atlanta plays again on July 4th when they host the Minnesota Thunder at 7:30 pm. The game will be a great way to celebrate the 4th of July - the first 1000 fans will receive a free 2006 Silverbacks Media Guide and everyone will get to watch a huge fireworks display after the match. For ticket information call 1-800-GO-BACKS.