South Jersey Soccer:
South Jersey Barons Outdone By Upstart Brooklyn Knights

Friday, July 17, 1998

By Forrest Robleto
SJSports Staff Writer

Ocean City, NJ - What looked to be an easy game for the Barons resulted in their third straight loss to a persistent Brooklyn Knights team in USISL D-3 Pro League soccer game at Carey Stadium. The Barons had won eight straight before the current losing streak.

The Barons came into the game with a 9-4 record in league competition, while the Knights were 2-3 against USISL competition this season. But from the start, the Knights seemed to have the advantage as the Barons found themselves on defense for a large part of the first half. Keeper Paul Royal made some crowd-pleasing saves. The Barons had a few good scoring chances but didn't seem to be able to sustain any offense.

Things looked a little better for the Barons in the beginning of the second half. At the 50-minute mark, Liam Watson put the Barons on the board with a nice feed from Michael Payne. The Barons seemed to relax a little after the goal and the Knights picked up the pace. Finally at the 69th minute, John Wolniec fed the ball to Eddie Sainmerville who drilled it past Paul Royal. As time ticked away it appeared that the Barons were headed for their third straight shootout. With four minutes left in regulation, Harry Triana beat several Barons and scored from about 15 yards. Rather than igniting the Barons, this seemed to take the wind out of their sails and three minutes later Harry Triana fed John Wolniec to cement the win.

The loss dropped the South Jersey Barons league record to 9-5 (10-8 overall) and improved the Brooklyn Knights record to 3-3 in USISL competition. Brooklyn outshot South Jersey 9-8. The Barons remain in first place in the division at least until the second place New Jersey Stallions host Central Jersey on Saturday, July 18.

The attendance was 1,168 on this hot and humid Friday night in Ocean City, New Jersey. The South Jersey Barons will play a road match on Saturday and will return home to meet the Delaware Wizards on Friday the 31st of July. They will go up against the Vermont Voltage for the last regular season game on August 8th.

Win or lose, the South Jersey Barons USISL D-3 Pro league soccer is a fan friendly game. Players are available after every game and are happy to sign autographs or pose for photographs with the fans. They play most of their games at Carey Stadium 5th and 6th streets at the Boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ. Tickets are $6.50 for adults and $4.50 for children under 12. Convenient parking is available for $6.00 and there is plenty to do both before and after the game.

Photos by Forrest Robleto