Mississauga MetroStars 7-6 Harrisburg Heat: MetroStars get back in the win column

0:00 — It’s all over here in Mississauga. The MetroStars end 2018 with a win, ending their losing streak. Their record is now 2-3. Their next match will be at home on Thursday, January 3rd against the Baltimore Blast. Kickoff is at 7:35 p.m.

0:12 — Marco Rodriguez dived into the boards to stop a last-second scoring chance but landed on top of his arm. He looked to have injured it, and went straight to the locker room instead of celebrating the win with his teammates.

0:51 — Matthew Rios had a chance to score on the empty net but hesitated and missed his chance.

2:30 — The Heat have pulled their goalie in favour of a 6th attacker.

5:59 — Former Manchester United academy player David Mellor tries to level the score with a backheel but the post steers it away.

7:23 — Mo Babouli is given a blue card. The Heat are on the powerplay.

8:20 — Mississauga MetroStars 7-6 Harrisburg Heat — William Eskay brings the visitors within one. He redirected a low pass into the net at the back post.

11:08 — Mississauga MetroStars 7-5 Harrisburg Heat — Daniel Villela scores his second of the game to bring Harrisburg back within 2. He took the ball of Adrian Becic, ran around him and slid the ball into the open goal.

15:00 — The final quarter has started.

4th Quarter

0:00 — End of the third quarter. It was a quiet 15 minutes, but Dwayne De Rosario managed to add another goal to the MetroStars lead.

1:03 — DeRo volleys the ball on goal but the Heat goalkeeper makes a nice stop.

8:29 — Mississauga MetroStars 7-4 Harrisburg Heat — De Rosario finishes off a 3-on-1 opportunity and brings back the old “shake and bake” celebration he’s been so famous for.

15:00 — The second half kicks off. The MetroStars will look to build on their solid first half performance and end their losing streak.

3rd Quarter

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0:00 — Halftime — The MetroStars enter the break up two goals.

1:11 — The two goal lead is restored for the MetroStars, after the referees made a controversial call that the ball had crossed the line after it appeared to stay out. Scored by Matthew Rios.

1:49 — Mississauga MetroStars 5-4 Harrisburg Heat — Dominic Francis pulls a goal back for the Heat. Another shot crashed off the crossbar and landed right in front of him, and he made no mistake.

3:30 — Marco Rodriguez almost scored another goal, this time from a free kick, but the post saves Harrisburg again.

4:55 — Mississauga MetroStars 5-3 Harrisburg Heat — Josh Paredes doubles the lead for the MetroStars, rolling a ball into the bottom right corner of the goal.

7:43 — Mississauga MetroStars 4-3 Harrisburg Heat — Marco Rodriguez gives the MetroStars their first lead of the afternoon.

8:25 — Mississauga MetroStars 3-3 Harrisburg Heat — Josip Keran smashes a half-volley from the edge of the area, and the MetroStars tie it up again.

11:25 — Mississauga MetroStars 2-3 Harrisburg Heat — Harrisburg take the lead again after Julian Escobar volleys it home from close range.

15:00 — We’re back underway now for the second quarter.

2nd Quarter

0:00 — End of the first quarter. Two late goals from the MetroStars see them tie it up.

0:47 — Mississauga MetroStars 2-2 Harrisburg Heat — Damion Graham gets his goal! The MetroStars forward receives a pass from De Rosario before putting it in the back of the net. That’s his fourth goal in his last two games.

1:16 — Mississauga MetroStars 1-2 Harrisburg Heat — Mo Babouli cuts the lead in half, sprinting along the bend in the wall before smashing a shot into the roof of the net.

2:45 — Damion Graham rounded a defender and fired the ball on goal but the Harrisburg keeper made a nice save to deny the goal. He looks hungry to build on the hat trick he scored in the last game.

4:25 — Damion Graham fires a volley toward the goal but the post turns it away.

6:42 — Adrian Cann shows off a bit of pace, sprinting back and denying a chance at goal.

9:27 — Mississauga MetroStars 0 - 2 Harrisburg Heat — Patrick Thompson quickly doubles the lead for the visitors.

9:59 — Mississauga MetroStars 0 - 1 Harrisburg Heat — The Heat open the scoring. Daniel Villela player finds the bottom corner of the Mississauga goal.

15:00 — We’re underway here in Mississauga!

1st Quarter

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Starting Lineups:

Mississauga:

G - Adrian Becic, D - Adrian Cann, D - Marco Rodriguez, M - Matthew Rios, F - Damion Graham, F - Dwayne De Rosario

Harrisburg:

G - William Banahene, D - Danny DiPrima, D - Dylan Hundelt, M - Daniel Villela, M - Dominic Francis, F - Nelson Santana

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Preview:

On Sunday afternoon, the Mississauga MetroStars return home to the Paramount Fine Foods Centre to take on their Eastern Division rivals, the Harrisburg Heat. Both teams have a 1-3 record, sit tied at the bottom of the Eastern division, and have two game losing streaks.

Last time out, the MetroStars were in Florida, where they fell 12-7 to another expansion side, the Orlando SeaWolves. They gave up five quick goals at the start of the match, and weren’t able to make the comeback, as the SeaWolves picked up on Mississauga’s weaknesses and kept exploiting them. The Mississauga defenders were playing a bit too far apart, so Orlando repeatedly fizzed low crosses across the face of goal, setting up chances from close range at the back post.

Canadian soccer legend Dwayne De Rosario is currently the team leader in points, with 9 (4G, 5A). Mo Babouli is second with 7 points (5G, 2A), and Marco Rodriguez and Martinho Dumevski are tied for third with 6 points each.

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How To Watch:

Match Date/ Time: Sunday, December 30th, 2018. Kickoff is at 3:05 p.m. EST

YouTube Stream: