Nashville 6-1 Orange County
July 6, 1997 — Ezell Park (Nashville, Tenn.)
Scoring Summary (order of goals unclear)
NASH — Maurat Dahlal
NASH — Maurat Dahlal
NASH — Andi Galloway
NASH — Idelfonso Cantero
NASH — Jamel Mitchell
NASH — Jamel Mitchell
OC — Daniel MaCed
Dahlal has hot foot as Metros romp by Orange Co.
(Nashville Tennessean, 07.07.97)
By Jim Wyatt
Mourat Dahlal, from Mostaganem, Algeria, struggled to find the words to describe Nashville’s 6-1 win over Orange County yesterday.
So Dahlal, who speaks very little English, used just two.
“Good soccer.”
And that said it all.
The Metros (10-7), winners in five of their last seven contests, turned in perhaps their finest effort of the season yesterday before 2,123 fans at Columbia Soccer Complex.
It started with Dahlal, who had two goals and two assists, and ended with Jamel Mitchell, who found the back of the net twice in the final minutes. The six goals were the most by the Metros this season.
“It’s a lot more fun to play when you’re ahead; we were just able to relax and have fun out there today,” said Nashville’s Andi Galloway, whose first-half score put the Metros ahead to stay.
But Orange County didn’t leave before getting in a few shots, though not all were aimed at Nashville goalies Randy Dedini and Michael LaBerge.
Two weeks ago, tempers flared when the two teams met in California after Nashville’s Luis Berbari inadvertently kicked Orange County’s Jake Dancy in the face.
Dancy, who was taken from the field by ambulance after suffering from a concussion, has been slowed ever since and did not make the trip. There was some worry beforehand that Zodiac players would retaliate.
OC’s Sergio Mengual did, bloodying the lip of Berbari with an elbow in the second half. Mengual was given a red card and was escorted off by two Metro police officers.
“We were a little bit concerned heading in, but I told the guys we just can’t worry about what the other team does, how the officials call the game or anything like that,” Metros coach Greg Peterson said.
“The guys played well, but we’ve been playing well for the past several games now.”
Mitchell (nine goals in 11 games) once again provided some flashy footwork, scoring two times in a 17-minute period.
“We needed to get on them early and once we got it going it was all over,” Mitchell said. “We’re playing now like we’re capable of playing, and it’s fun.”
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