After a win and a draw in their first two games, the New York Cosmos lost for the first time in their second incarnation in the North American Soccer League Saturday night, dropping a 3-0 decision to the Carolina RailHawks in Cary, N.C.
It was the second straight game the Cosmos failed to score a goal.
“Unfortunately, our two mistakes brought us some difficulty in the first half,” Cosmos coach Giovanni Savarese said. “It makes things a little more complicated because you have to risk a little more, play quicker and a little more desperate.”
The Cosmos (1-1-1), which played the Tampa Bay Rowdies to a 0-0 draw last weekend, had an early scoring chance, but Joseph Nane’s shot following a corner was blocked in front and cleared from danger.
Brian Shriver, who was named NASL Player of the Week, scored the first of his two goals in the eighth minute to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
He doubled that advantage 20 minutes later when Cosmos defender Hunter Gorskie misplayed a back pass as Shriver stole the ball, took a touch around Cosmos goalkeeper Kyle Reynish and netted his league-leading 11th goal of the year.
Both teams were reduced to 10 men just before halftime when Nane and Austin Da Luz from Carolina were sent off for their second bookable offense.
In the 54th minute, substitute Roversio latched onto Hunter Freeman’s corner kick, but RailHawks goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald made the save.
Marcos Senna had a dangerous free kick with 10 minutes left in the second half, but his attempt sailed over the crossbar.
“[In the] second half we completely dominated the game and we have to put away some of the opportunities that we have and we could be back in the game,” Savarese said.
Two minutes from full time, Gorskie fouled midfielder Cesar Elizondo in the box and Ackley put his penalty kick past Reynish to secure a decisive victory for Carolina, which improved to 2-0-1 and sit atop the NASL Fall standings.
Things went from bad to worst in second-half stoppage time when Cosmos midfielder Sebastian Guenazzi was sent off with a straight red card for a dangerous tackle.
“We’re working on things week-to-week,” Savarese said. “The guys have done tremendously well the first two matches to look like they’ve been playing for many years. There are still many more matches to play.”
The Cosmos will look to bounce back Saturday night against the San Antonio Scorpions at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the first 7,500 fans will receive a free “Cosmos Country” T-shirt.
San Antonio is still winless this season with a record of 0-3-0, losing to Tampa Bay, Edmonton and Fort Lauderdale. The Scorpions have conceded 10 goals in the three defeats.
