Houston Hurricanes reach TPSL Championship Final with Timberz victory

HOUSTON - March 1, 2015 - PRLog -- Houston Hurricanes FC edged Texas Timberz on Saturday night as the Texas Premier Soccer League nears its season's end.

A double from home side hero Dustin Botting secured the victory for the Hoops but they required an extra 30 minutes of play to tie up the match after Bottings opening goal on 80 minutes was tied in the third minute of injury time, requiring the game to enter into the extra time half hour.

In the early stages of the game, both sides had opportunities to take the lead but a failure to make the breakthrough saw the game swing back and forth but without a goal scoring end to any of the play on show.

The cold, wet weather didn't dampen the enthusiasm or spirit of the players as the game marched on, and the second half continued on where the first had left us, with plenty of opportunities being created but without the cutting edge finish that would seperate the two sides.

12 goals have been scored in the previous two matches this season between the two and as seed number one entering this game, the Hurricanes were expected to win this game by a number of goals. Texas Timberz however, have proved to be a worthy addition to the league this season and were never going to be a pushover.

The game burst into life on 80 minutes as Dustin Botting scored the opener for Houston and it appeared to be enough to secure a spot in the final as the click ticked towards its end.

Freddie Barboza for the Timberz went close as time was running down with a rocket free kick but as the three minutes of injury time at the end of the 90 approached Barboza grabbed the all important equalizer as he watched as his cross into the box eluded everyone and nestled nicely in the back of the net.

It was a dramatic way to end the 90 minutes of game play but the goal meant that extra time would be required and the watching fans were to enjoy another 30 minutes in which to take in the action.

The game continued to live up to its semi final billing as chances in front of goal continued to rain down on the keepers. It was once again at a dramatic time that Botting broke the deadlock, scoring on 104 minutes, just seconds before the whistle was blew for the half.

The second period of extra time was a nail biting affair, however the closest Timberz came to equalizing the match was a free kick that drifted over the bar.

Sighs of both relief and anguish were felt around the park as the final whistle blew, with the final score of 2-1 in favour of Houston Hurricanes FC earning them a spot in the TPSL Championship Final on March 21/22.

Houston Hurricane head coach Brendan Keyes said afterwards,"Hats off to Texas Timberz for a great game, it takes two teams to make it special and this was a very special game."

"I am proud of the bhoys tonight, a hard fought win in extra time against a quality team in Texas Timberz. We now look forward to the championship game against either Austin or Twin Cities."

"We were involved in a magnificent semifinal in Houston on Saturday and we congratulate the Hurricanes players and staff on the win. Also congratulations and thanks to all of our Timberz players for making history once again and sétting another bar for the upcoming soccer generations in East Texas." said Timberz owner Marco Morales.

The Hurricanes await the winner of Austin Real Cuauhtemoc who are seeded second and third seeded twin Cities who play March 7th in Austin.

The Final will be played weekend of 21st/22nd March.

The Texas Premier Soccer League (TPSL) is a professionally run men's adult soccer program involving amateur and semi-pro clubs from across the state. The league runs from September to March. The US Club Soccer sanctioned Texas State Cup also plays in the winter break from the league. An opportunity to qualify for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is available for the championship winner through this sanctioning with US Club Soccer