(Wilmington, NC) - The Charlotte Eagles were in Wilmington tonight for game three of the 2008 season. Robert Ssejjemba's stoppage time goal put the Eagles on top in a 3-2 win over the Hamerheads.
Charlotte and Wilmington battled through the first half hoping to gain the first lead of the game. Charlotte looked to possess the ball and develop the attack with numbers building from the back. Wilmington's size and tough-nosed direct approach broke up the Eagles' rythmn but was unsuccessful at penetrating the Charlotte defense as the half ended scoreless.
Charlotte veteran forward Dustin Swinehart put the Eagles on the board first with his sixth goal in just three games. Joseph Kabwe set up the Charlotte goal with a run down the left side. Kabwe served a perfect ball through for Swinehart, approaching from the right wing. Swinehart finished with a left-footed volley from six yards out.
Kabwe worked his magic once again in the 67th minute to set up the Eagles second goal. Joseph beat two hammerheads down the left side and slotted the ball across the goal mouth. This time it was Charlotte forward Robbert Ssejjemba who connected with the cross, scoring from just inside the 18 yard box to put the Eagles up 2-0.
The Wilmington Hammerheads' relentless effort resulted in two back to back goals off headers to nullify the Eagles lead. Wilmington's first goal came in the 81st minute off a cross from Murray on the right flank. Murray's serve went to the near post for Cvilikas, who skimmed a header to the far post, pulling Wilmington within one goal of Charlotte.
Wilmington's equalizer came six minutes later. Smith found Rolland with a serve from the right side. Rolland connected with the cross, heading it into the net from close range.
Charlotte continued to see heavy pressure from Wilmington in the final minutes, but remained composed in the back to prevent further damage. Taurai Daka scored the game winner in stoppage time to preserve the Eagles undefeated run. Dustin Swiehart set up the goal with a serve from the far right for Daka in the box. Daka controlled the ball with a few sweet touches before burying the ball in the back of the net.
"This is a huge win for us on the road versus a very tough Wilmington side. They played very direct, making use of their size and strength to attack, but we stayed tough in the back and did what we needed to do on offense to pull out a win," said Eagles coach Mark Steffens.
