Touray’s goal salvages point for Islanders

On Saturday, July 7, Sainey Touray’s Harrisburg City Islanders hosted Antigua Barracuda FC, a game which was important because if the City Islanders could take the victory, the team could claim the fourth place spot in the standings.

Unfortunately, the City Islanders were only able to grab a 1-1 tie. The extra point does, however, tie the team with the fourth place team. The lone goal came from Sainey Touray. It was almost a loss, but thanks to stoppage time, it was a tie.

This tie comes on the heels of a great win for the team. On Friday, July 6, the City Islanders had played the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. This was an away game for the City Islanders, which had a record of 5-4-3. The Riverhounds had a record of 3-6-4. This game was a close one and for much of the game it appeared that the two teams would tie.

In the final minutes of the game, Sainey Tourey managed to get the winning goal. The City Islanders took the victory by a score of 3-2. This win bumped the team up to fifth in the USL Pro standings and put the team within two points of the fourth place team. Touray’s City Islanders are now in fifth place in the USL Pro standings.

For number of points, they are tied with the Wilmington Hammerheads at 22. The Orlando City Lions, the 2011 champions, are in first with 37 points and are seven points ahead of the Charleston Battery. With a few more good games for Touray and his Islanders, the team could be in a great position to make the playoffs.

Since Touray’s finish came in second-half stoppage time, he had just enough time to hoist Bill Becher’s club (8-5-6 overall, 6-4-5 in USL PRO) above the Barracuda and avoid an embarrassing start to a brief two-game homestand.

Not that the City Islanders didn’t have chances, but they only cashed in once. “It’s awesome,” Touray said. “Like I said, it’s not easy. I’ve just got to keep working hard and keep playing, you know? I’ve been like bottled up at the beginning of the season, playing like some six-seven games without scoring a goal. And now coming off the bench, scoring goals, it’s like last season.”

If the team continues to play as well as it has in recent games, the team could be a contender for the championship. Up next for Sainey Touray and his City Islanders is a home match on Friday, July 13.

For this game, the Dayton Dutch Lions will travel to Skyline Sports Complex on City Island in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Lions are currently just one spot out of last place in the standings. A win would help boost the City Islanders in the standings and help continue to boost the team’s confidence.

After that game, on Wednesday, July 18, the City Islanders will travel to play the Lions. After the away game, the City Islanders will only have seven games left in the season and the team needs all the wins it can get.