Fury Top Adirondack Lynx, 4-2

High Drama in Uniondale as Fury Defeat Connecticut Reds, 3-2, in Overtime

July 18, 2007-Missing five starters due to other commitments such as U.S.National Team duty, the 8-1-2 Long Island Fury survived an exhausting 120-minute first round playoff game with the 6-2-3 Connecticut Reds at humid Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale. Long Island won in double overtime, 3-2, featuring a very young roster averaging 18.4 years. in age.

Player of the Match was 16-year-old Jasmyne Spencer of Bay Shore, who gave a performance that will be remembered by Fury fans for a long time. Spencer had a foot in all three Fury goals.

In fact, the right foot of Spencer and Katelynn Donovan produced all three Fury goals, getting Long Island off to the right foot in the playoffs.

"To show that much maturity at the age of 16 is amazing as she played against two tough, physical college defenders all evening," commented Fury head coach Paul Riley.

After a scoreless first half, Spencer stole the ball in the 51st minute at midfield and dribbled 55 yards to slot it in the bottom left corner of the net, past Reds' goalkeeper Brett Maron.

The Fury defense received a red flag when Tiffany Weimer, the Women's Premier Soccer League's leading scorer with 12 goals, hit the post from seven yards in the 66th minute. It was Weimer's stoppage time goal from 14 yards past Fury goalkeeper Becky Wachsberger of East Meadow in the left corner of the net which sent the match into overtime.

Long Island went straight into the the attack in the first overtime and a six-yard header from Emily Sammis of Huntington was cleared off the line by a Reds defender in the 93rd minute.

Spencer dribbled into the penalty area a minute later and was tripped by keeper Maron, and referee Jose Carlos Rivero had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot. Melville's Katelynn Donovan calmly placed the ball in the left corner.

The game-winning goal came off a 40-yard free kick from Holtsville's Tiffany Yovino which Spencer headed into the net in the 112th minute.

Down 3-1 but led by Weimer, Connecticut was red but not dead just yet. A four-yard Weimer goal in the 116th minute was disallowed for offside and that proved critical as she made it 3-2 in the 120th minute with a five-yard shot off a cross from Brittany Tegler.

Unlike regulation, the Fury did not concede the tying goal in stoppage time of overtime in a dramatic evening in Uniondale.

"The defense with Sue Weber, Alyssa Pember and Cody Newman was great," Coach Riley added. "We forget that Pember and Newman are just teenagers but they did their jobs again tonight."

"It was a brilliant win. We are thrilled!" Riley exclaimed.

The Fury continue defense of their national championship by travelling to New Jersey on Saturday, July 21 to take on the 8-2-0 Atlantic City Diablos, Mid-Atlantic Division champions, in the Round of 16. Kick-off is at 6 pm at St. Augustine Prep in Richland, New Jersey.