Fury Capture WPSL Eastern Conference Title

July 25, 2009, Garden City, NY-The Long Island Fury dominated ball possession against the surprising Millburn Magic but entered halftime of their Eastern Conference championship game in front of their enthusiastic fans at Adelphi with nothing to show for it on the scoreboard. That changed with three goals in the second half to propel the Fury to a 3-0 win and the Eastern Conference title of the Women's Premier Soccer League.

In the 47th minute, a Karin Simonian pass went to Alaina Beyar who put the Fury on the board with a shot from 16 yards. Kelly Henderson fed Rosie Hayes who then made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute with a 22-yard blast past the near post of Magic goalkeeper Lia Fierro. Kelly Farrell closed out the scoring with a shot from eight yards in the 68th minute off an assist from Jasmyne Spencer and a dummy from Vicki DiMartino.

"Not a great performance tonight," commented Long Island Fury head coach Paul Riley. "We did just enough to win and our star players did not have their best games. I think that playing three games in six nights have taken their toll."

"Alaina Beyar was by far the best player on the field tonight!" concluded Coach Riley.

The Fury defense recorded their fourth shutout in the past five games although Magic forward Katie Ryan was dangerous until going down with a thigh injury in the 72nd minute. Long Island starting goalkeeper Jillian Mastroianni made three saves while substitute keeper Brittany Anghel had one and their counterpart in the Magic goal, Fierro, made 12 saves.

Long Island enjoyed just a 4-3 corner kick advantage although the Fury took 25 shots to the Magic's 7 shots. Farrell was selected as the Offensive MVP of the game while the Defensive MVP was Beyar. The Fury remain undefeated at 12-0-1 while the Magic concluded their season at 7-5-1.

The Fury hosts the Women's Premier Soccer League Final Four at Adelphi University next Saturday, August 1 and Sunday, August 2. The Fury will play a national semifinal match next Saturday at 5 pm against an opponent to be determined from this weekend's playoff action.