NYAC, Belmont Shore in SL Final
Mon, 26 May 2008 09:44
The results of the weekend's United States Super League (SL) semifinal matches have ushered in a rematch of the 2005 SL Final, as New York Athletic Club and Belmont Shore head to Glendale, Colorado, to contest the Final on Saturday, May 31.
The first semifinal match saw the top-seeded New York Athletic Club (NYAC) defeat the No.5 Denver Barbarians at home on Travers Island. Despite a strong defensive showing from Denver, NYAC scored early on to go up 12-3 before half-time.
The Barbarians made a comeback effort with a try inside the 63rd minute to pull within nine points, but with an additional NYAC try in the game's final minutes the Winged Foot held steady for a 22-8 victory.
The win marks NYAC's return to the SL Finals for the first time since 2005, when they came up with a huge defensive effort to stave off Belmont Shore for the league title.
"We played a solid defensive game and so did Denver. You have to give the Barbarians a massive amount of credit. They're a great team and were very capable in the line-out today. Dave Hodges has just done a phenomenal job of coaching there," said NYAC's Bruce McLane.
"It's always tough to travel and we were at a huge advantage playing at home in the semifinals. We put forth a true team effort all the way."
In a rematch of the 2007 SL Final, Belmont Shore hosted the No.8 Chicago Lions on the West Coast, with similar results this time around. The Long Beach side shut down Chicago early, taking advantage of early opportunities to go up 17-0 before the break.
Belmont Shore continued to build momentum in the second half and never allowed Chicago much of a chance to catch up.
James Gillenwater led the scoring charge for Shore with a pair, while Peter Sio, Henry Bloomfield and Peter Dahl each touched down one try a piece in the eventual 34-15 victory, which marks the ninth time in 12 years that Belmont Shore has gained a berth in the SL Final.
The Long Beach side now travels to Glendale to meet NYAC at Infinity Park on Saturday, with a kick-off scheduled for 18.00 MDT.
