Saturday August 4, 2007

           The Atlanta Silverbacks beat the Charleston Battery 2-1 tonight at RE/MAX Greater Atlanta Stadium; the victory takes Atlanta’s record to 8-7-5 and gives them their first 2007 Southern Derby Cup win. Heading into the match the longtime rivals were tied in points with 26 on the season, but the win pushes Atlanta ahead of Charleston in the standings and into sixth place.
          Atlanta started the scoring in the 22nd minute when Luis Liendo fed a ball to Daniel Antoniuk in the middle of the field. Antoniuk took a great first touch to put his defender out of position and banged home a low shot to give Atlanta the early lead.
          Just minutes later, a streaking David Hayes was taken down in the box after a great pass from Daniel Antoniuk. Atlanta was awarded a penalty kick in the 26th minute and Hayes calmly finished his shot past Charleston goalkeeper Dusty Hudock.
          Charleston rebounded in the second half when midfielder Stephen Armstrong dribbled though the Atlanta defense and fired a powerful shot past Atlanta goalkeeper Ryan McIntosh in the 66th minute.
          Tonight’s match featured the debut of midfielder Macoumba Kandji in USL First Division action for the ‘Backs. Kandji was able to put heavy pressure on the Charleston net by firing a game-high of five shots on goal.
          The Silverbacks’ next match is on Friday, August 10 when they host the Puerto Rico Islanders at 8:00 pm. The match, which will be nationally broadcast live on the Fox Soccer Channel, will also feature a spectacular fireworks show after the game. The Silverbacks will be giving away the third set of Official Player Cards to the first 250 fans to enter RE/MAX Greater Atlanta Stadium.
          The Silverbacks only have two more regular season home matches (Aug. 10 & Sept. 1) – be sure to catch them at RE/MAX Greater Atlanta Stadium as they continue their playoff push.
         
          In other Silverbacks news, the Silverbacks Women have advanced to the W-League Championship tomorrow night in Rochester, NY. The ‘Backs will fight for the title against the Washington Freedom in a live national broadcast on the Fox Soccer Channel at 5:30 pm.