Juan Arango and Jairo Arrieta Each Score Twice To Send Cosmos To Top Of Fall Standings

Photo credit: New York Cosmos

High-scoring New York erased an early Carolina lead and scored six unanswered goals, two each by Juan Arango and Jairo Arrieta, to defeat the RailHawks, 6-1, at Shuart Stadium on Saturday night. The victory moved the Cosmos into first place, provisionally, in the Fall Season Standings and kept alive New York’s unbeaten record at home this year.

Carolina (3W-3D-4L, 12 points) broke on top only six minutes into the game when Nazmi Albadawi stole the ball and led Matt Fondy into the New York (7-2-2, 23) penalty area. Fondy slid a shot through the legs of goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer to give the RailHawks the early lead on his sixth goal of the Fall Season. But it did not last long. Two minutes later, New York pressed forward and put pressure on the Carolina defense. Salvadoran international Andrés Flores rolled the ball to Arango at the top of the area and his left-footed shot to the top right corner eluded Akira Fitzgerald in the Carolina goal. It was Arango’s eighth goal of the season.

Arango scored his second goal of the game, in the 58th minute, to give the Cosmos a 2-1 lead. Sebastían Guenzatti made a nifty move on the left side, but had his shot stopped by Fitzgerald. Arango was there to chip the rebound into the open net. Two minutes later, Arrieta scored a highlight-reel goal, hitting a chip from 20 yards out that sailed over Fitzgerald, who had wandered off his line. It was his fourth goal of the year and second in as many weeks. Flores added the fourth goal, off a deflection, with about 12 minutes to play and Arrieta got his second of the game in the 82nd. Guenzatti capped the scoring in second-half injury time with his first goal of the year.

For more information on the game, head over to nycosmos.com and carolinarailhawks.com.