Through the first four games of the season, Crystal Palace USA was looking for a slight leak in the opposition. Saturday at Wilmington, the dam completely burst as Palace (1-4-0) got on the board early and didn?t look back in a 3-0 win.
“It was a good result, and I think without sounding overly confident, I feel like it was a long time coming,” Palace sporting director/coach Jim Cherneski said of the franchise?s first United Soccer Leagues victory.
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The club had gone on a three-game goal-less drought, and now that it has broken through, Cherneski sees no reason for the club?s luck to stop.
“It?s a relief and it?s also very encouraging and I feel like we can go on a run,” Cherneski said. “We lost four straight and I feel like we can win five straight or more.”
Next up for Palace is a game at Richmond (5-0-0) Saturday night at 7. Palace dropped a 1-0 result to the Kickers on May 12.
That game was essentially a microcosm of the team?s early struggles ? dominating play but coming out on the losing end.
“It just wasn?t happening,” Cherneski said. “Now the results have come, and part of the problem was that people were nervous in front of the goal.”
That wasn?t the case Saturday, as Sergio Flores got Palace on top with a goal in the eleventh minute of play. He converted a Matthew Mbuta pass, as did Andrew Marshall (Centennial High/Towson University) who scored three minutes into the second half to expand the lead. Flores found Josh Alcala in the final minute of play to cap the scoring with the club?s third goal of the game and fourth of the season.
