The City Islanders played to a scoreless draw with the Charlotte Eagles Saturday night in front of about 1,400 at Skyline Sports Complex. Despite dominating possession and testing Eagles keeper Eric Lefebure throughout the game, the Islanders failed to find the back of the net. The Islanders out-shot the Eagles 12 to 7, nipping the crossbar on a scorching header from Sheannon Williams and catching the post on two other occasions. The Islanders also recorded 9 corner kicks to Charlotte’s 1, though most found their way directly into the keeper’s hands. Harrisburg should really have taken three points away from the game but can’t be completely disappointed about collecting points in their second straight game.

Loanee Andrew Hoxie played well up front for the Islanders showing off a quick first step and nimble feet for such a large frame. His creativity and determination were complimented well by Williams who was a frequent target for long-balls out of the back. The sheer tenacity and speed of 5’5” winger Vince Petrasso kept Charlotte’s defense on their heels and JT Noone and Jason Pelletier distributed well out of the middle. The Islanders put forth a solid performance for the home fans, though they could not seem to find the last pass or the timely finish as they created chance after chance throughout the game. Danny Cepero backed up the fluid attack with 3 key saves including a beautiful full-extension save to preserve the clean sheet just before half.

The Islanders seem to have found a rhythm to their game that was missing earlier in the season. Hopefully the confidence built from this successful home-stand will carry the team to results next weekend at Charleston (Jun. 4th) and at Charlotte (Jun. 5th). Harrisburg’s next game on City Island is Friday, June 11th against rivals Pittsburgh.

Read the full game summary at cityislanders.com.

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The team announced just before the game on Saturday that JT Noone has signed a season-long deal to play in Harrisburg. He will wear #15 throughout the season and looks likely to be a regular in the Islanders line-up. I will have more on that story, including implications for the Union, and a view toward the summer transfer window for Philadelphia early in the week.