RECAP | Fury FC 2, Strikers 0

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers’ six-game unbeaten streak came to an end Saturday night in a 2-0 loss to the NASL Fall Season leaders Ottawa Fury FC.

Second-half strikes doomed Fort Lauderdale after a stout Fury FC defense blanked the hosts for the entire 90 minutes. The Strikers played a man short for the final 18 minutes of the match after PC was shown a second yellow card.

While the Strikers had the better of possession in the first half, they were unable to capitalize.

“I told them [the players], if we can’t score in the first half against this team, then it’s going to be very tough for us,” Strikers head coach Günter Kronsteiner said. “This is one of the best teams in the league right now.”

It was the third match for the Strikers in one week, and fatigue played a part in the second stanza during the loss. For the first time this year, Fort Lauderdale fielded the same starting lineup in consecutive matches.

“For us, tiredness was an issue,” Kronsteiner added. “Two games in one week is not really easy.”

Former Strikers forward Aly Alberto Hassan opened the scoring in the 52nd minute before Sinisa Ubiparipovic, who assisted on the opener, added an insurance goal for the visitors nine minutes from time.

Goalkeeper Josh Ford kept the result at a minimum as he made a couple of good saves down the stretch, as Fort Lauderdale threw numbers forward in search of a goal.

The loss was the first for the Strikers in six matches against Ottawa. The sides played to a scoreless draw last Saturday.

Fort Lauderdale slips to fifth place in the Combined Standings, with 31 points and an 8W-7D-8L record.