Meagher leads Lions past Winnipeg with goal and assist
July 10, 2011
St. Louis, MO
The St Louis Lions broke out of their goal drought this weekend putting three in the back of the net against Winnipeg on a hot and steamy afternoon in St Louis. The Lions were lead by Dan Meagher who had a goal and an assist on the day.
Meagher opened the scoring in the 11th minute when he chipped the Winnipeg keeper from the right side of the box. Kenny Kranz was working tirelessly in the middle of the field when he found Meagher drifting into the left side of the goal box. Kranz slipped a pass to Meagher who chipped the ball into the far corner of the goal.
The Lions continued the assault in the first half firing 12 shots on goal. The Lions struck again in the 45th minute after a volley of shots by the Lions were blocked by the Winnipeg keeper with a rebound finding the Lions Pat Kelly at the top of the goal box who teed up a laser of a shot into the upper left corner. The Lions went into the break leading 2-0.
Winnipeg was coming off a 1-0 victory over the Springfield Demize the night before was laboring in the heat and humidity and was doing everything they could to slow up the Lions attack. Winnipeg had committed 16 of their 23 fouls in the first half.
“We played very well tactically today,” said Tony Glavin Head Coach of the Lions “We knew we had a job to do and we needed to take advantage of Winnipeg having come off a game last night. I thought our back line played terrific tonight which allowed us to push more on the attack.”
Glavin was referring to the Lions backline that allowed only three shots in the game. The Lions defense was lead by stellar play from Alan Bradaric and Ryan Spence.
In the second half the game progressed in much the same manner of the first half with the Lions dominating the majority of the possession and the attack.
In the 59th minute Kenny Kranz finished off the scoring for the Lions when Meagher returned the favor and worked a beautiful give and go to set Kranz up one on one with the Winnipeg keeper and he slotted the ball into the side netting just beyond the outstretched keeper.
The Lions look to extend their goal scoring this week when they travel Wednesday to Kansas City and then next Saturday in Springfield. The Lions return home on July 24th to finish off the season against the Des Moines Menace. The 24th is “Fan Appreciation Night” all fans in attendance receive a team poster.
You can purchase tickets by calling 636-939-5151 or visit www.stllions.com.
The St. Louis Lions are set to begin their sixth season as a member of the United Soccer League’s (USL) Premier Development League (PDL) where players have the ability to compete throughout the summer months in a professionalized setting while maintaining their collegiate eligibility. The league is the proving ground for players that aspire to reach the highest-levels of the game, while providing affordable family entertainment within their city. The PDL consistently sends players into the professional ranks with several playing in the USL First and Second Professional Divisions as well as 39 players with PDL experience chosen in the 2009 Major League Soccer SuperDraft. In just three prior seasons the Lions have competed in the U.S. Open Cup (2008 and 2009), PDL playoffs (2007), won the Rookie Franchise of the Year Award (2006) and currently have six former players playing professional soccer.
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