ACFC misses playoffs by a goal and a point

After being put in a must-win points situation by a 1-0 win for Armenia Deportivo over the Nomads earlier Monday night, Angel City came out hard from the starting whistle against the league-leading Hotspurs.

For the first 10 to 15 minutes Angel City stormed the Spurs defensive area, earning numerous corner kicks in the process, but no goals.

The Spurs lone tally came at the 24-minute mark on a counter, with a lone striker taking the ball down the left side past two defenders before slotting the ball near post into the net.

Play after the goal was fierce at both ends with the Spurs crisp passing game pitted against Angel City's speed and hustle. Sparked on by some impressive saves by keeper Dave Styles -- two of which he took on the chin ... literally -- ACFC fought with heart through the remainder of the game, but couldn't quite finish off their chances.

What could only be dubbed one-sided officiating didn't help matters with numerous and often unwarranted calls being made in the Spurs favor and decisions, including a blatant and intentional handball in the Spurs box, being waved off.

Ultimately fate was not on Angel City's side. The squad played at 120 per cent right up until the finishing whistle but came away with a fourth place finish (24 points, 8 wins, 5 losses, one canceled match), one point behind Armenia Deportivo. The Spurs finished top of Div B with 33 points, followed by Hollywood United. Top two teams from each division (A, B and C) qualified for the playoffs, joined by the top two performing third-place squads.

Ben O'Meara took the team's 2009 scoring title with eight goals, followed by David Woirhaye with six and Brandon Cole with five. Woirhaye topped the assists category with six, followed by Ben Kull with five and Cole with four. And Kull was the most honored player with two MVP awards. On the dark side Rahoul Ghose had the most yellow cards with five (though rumor has it he is proud of the accomplishment), followed by Peter Wasek with three.

Angel City thanks Coach Billy Alarcon and player manager Ben Kull for their commitment and support throughout the season. The squad is already looking to better their results in the spring.


GAME STATS

ACFC (0) vs Hotspurs(1)

Goals:
Hotspurs: (24:00)