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Harrisburg clinches 1st Open Cup berth
Hammerheads on the brink with loss to Eagles
With a scoreless draw against New Hampshire, and a Wilmington loss at Charlotte, the Harrisburg City Islanders have secured their first U.S. Open Cup spot since they began play in 2004. The night started in Manchester, New Hampshire, with the City Islanders playing to a 0-0 draw with the New Hampshire Phantoms. With a point in their pocket, the City Islanders inched closer to the U.S. Open Cup, awaiting the result from Charlotte.
At Waddell Stadium, the Eagles jumped on the board early through 10-year veteran Dustin Swinehart in the 13th minute through an Adam Ruud assist. Wilmington nearly equalized with eight minutes remaining, but Charlotte defense stayed firm, clearing the ball off the goal line before heading it over the crossbar. Charlotte would put the game away in the 86th minute, when Ross Spencer converted on a pass from Jacob Coggins. Despite getting a hand on the ball, Hammerheads goalkeeper Dan Ruch could not prevent it from getting past him. The win all but clinches a cup spot for Charlotte as well, although their minimum points percentage of 43% is just below the maximum percentage of Wilmington (48%) and Crystal Palace Baltimore (50%).
The loss puts the winless Hammerheads very much in danger of missing the U.S. Open Cup for the first time since 2002. Sitting at 8%, Wilmington would have to win at least two of their final three games in qualifying to make the cut. The 0-0 draw in New Hampshire put a little bit of distance between the Phantoms and Hammerheads for the sixth and final spot. The results earned by Western Mass and Cincinnati in Saturday’s games will go far in determining how much more difficult it will be for Wilmington to qualify. Western Mass play host to newly qualified Harrisburg, while Cincinnati entertains the Cleveland City Stars. Cleveland City can clinch their own Open Cup berth with a win tomorrow.
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