Bantams Win Franchise Opener
Greenwood, S.C. - On a beautiful opening night under clear skies, the newly formed Palmetto FC Bantams took all three points from the Virginia Beach Piranhas, in a clean, hard fought 2-1 win. With a crowd of over 1000 in attendance, Gustavo Cunha assisted on both goals finished by Ryan Freiburger and Luke Perry, with the Piranhas scraping back a goal from Jerjer Gibson.
After a back and forth opening 10 minutes, the match settled in as the Piranhas took hold of possession and had the early chances, most notably in the 23rd minute from a corner. As the game progressed the Bantams exerted their control over the match and were rewarded with a free kick from Gustavo Cunha, drawn by Mike Mangotic. A neat cross from Cunha left the keeper punching the ball into the air, leading to the first goal in franchise history, headed home by Freiburger in the 32nd minute.
The Bantams did not stop there, in the 38th minute Cunha dribbled past three defenders down the right flank, cutting inside to find Perry who slotted home from 15 yards into the bottom left corner. The Piranhas fought their way back into the game and were rewarded for their efforts. In the 45th minute a lofted ball over the top lead to a miscued back pass by the Bantams, resulting in an unassisted goal from Gibson.
The second half was loaded with chances for the Bantams, but none translated on the score sheet. In the 50th minute, a high lofted corner to the top of the box set up Cunha for an exquisite volley that was palmed away with a great save by Piranhas’ goalkeeper Tyler Benham. In the 79th minute, Bantams’ defender Jack Kimber dribbled forward for a 30 yard blast into the top right corner, but Benham was there once again. The Bantams’ Lee Squires also failed to convert a one on one breakaway and had a header called back for offsides. As the game crept to a close, the Bantams’ defense was up to the task and comfortably closed out their first win in franchise history.
The Bantams will look ahead to their next fixture on May 25th at 7:00 p.m. against Real Maryland FC at Stone Stadium in Columbia, SC. Box Score
