Red cards, big games and the Thunder Bay Chill go hand in hand.
Why would Sunday’s Premier Development League final be any different? This time it was goalie Stephen Paterson, playing his final game for the Chill, who was tossed four minutes in after fouling league MVP Krys Tyrpak, preventing a clear scoring opportunity, an automatic ejection under soccer’s rules.
It unravelled from there, and led to a 3-1 win by the host Austin Aztex, who claimed a PDL title in just thier second season of existence.
Already up 1-0 on the Aztex after Pedro Adan scored in the second minute, the Chill lost their lead on Miami-born, Spanish-raised Sito Seoane’s ensuing penalty kick.
Seoane went high, while Paterson’s replacement, hometown Daniel Alvarado, guessed low and left.
"I decide before I take (one) where I'm going and (the goalie) was a big keeper so I decided to put the ball up," Seoane said, a crush of reporters surrounding him after he was named MVP of the four-team tournament.
Down a man, the shorthanded Chill simply couldn’t cover a powerful Aztex attack. It was their third straight championship game drawing a red card, earning a win in Laredo in 2008 and falling to Portland two years later.
Not that they gave up. Not by any means.
"After that red card we brought it in and huddled together and said we've got to fight. We did, maintained it, and we gave up another late goal and that kind of brought our emotions down," an emotional Adan said afterward. "I think we did better in the second half."
Chill coach Tony Colistro said not only is it tough to go down a man, but when the guy you lose is an all-star calibre goaltender, it's all that harder.
"Two of the goals were very questionable. I thought our PK, that was a red card as well. It's difficult. It's a tough one to take, but I'm proud of the guys as far as they came. And I thought in the second half, with 10 men it was hard, but we really took a shot at it. If we would have converted on that PK, things might have changed."
Asked if he thought the red card was legitimate, Colistro sided with the officials. It's the call that came afterward that he took issue with.
"The red card was there, there's no doubt about it. But the red card was outside the PK area and the linesman overturned the call, which I don't understand. I also think the third goal was offside. There was obstruction there."
Seoane scored again in the 22nd minute, giving Austin the lead for good.
"We've believed in ourselves all season long and we know that after their goal that it didn't matter if they score first or not. We kept working, we kept working and finally we got it," Seoane said.
Paterson’s ejection was just rejuvenation Aztex needed to restore the momentum and the faith of another record and raucous House Park crowd.
Katry Shelton broke free for Austin’s third goal of the half, this one in stoppage, leading the Aztex to a 3-1 championship win, in just their second year of existence.
Austin finished undefeated a home in 2013, after 7-0-0 romp through the regular season, two wins in the Southern Conference championship and Friday’s 1-0 win over Ocean City in the PDL semifinal.
The Chill’s best chance to claw their way back into the championship went for naught, when Paul Dillon drove the aforementioned penalty kick in the 54th high and wide left, the Aztex maintaining their 3-1 lead.
Austin’s Aaron Guillen earned the foul, yanking Chill striker Sullivan Silva down inside the box.
Intermoia, who minutes earlier had been assessed a yellow card, forced Cook to work for a save in the 57th, heading a Dillon free kick.
Most of the Chill team won't return to Thunder Bay, though a few players and the coaching staff are expected to arrive late Monday night.
Below: Thunder Bay's Pedro Adan and coach Tony Colistro on the loss:
