News

Cosmos Top Armada to Extend Perfect Home Record

A 3-0 victory increases New York's lead in the Fall Season Standings.
Published Jul 13, 2016

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (July 13, 2016) Andrés Flores and David Diosa each scored first-half goals, and Adam Moffat added a second-half insurance tally to help lead the New York Cosmos to a 3-0 win over Jacksonville Armada FC Wednesday night at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium.

The Cosmos remain atop the North American Soccer League Fall Season Standings, the only team in the league with maximum points after three games. New York has also won all seven of its home matches this year, scoring 14 goals and allowing just 2.

“It’s one of the best performances the team has had so far because it was complete,” Cosmos Head Coach Giovanni Savarese said. “We can still improve upon that, but we felt always in control of the match.”

Making his first start of the Fall Season, Cosmos goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer nearly scored in the 10th minute when his long goal kick bounced in front of Jacksonville goalkeeper Sean Lewis, who raced back to swat the ball from the goal line following the second bounce with Diosa racing in.

Flores put the Cosmos in front just before the half-hour mark on his first goal of the year. Juan Arango played to Lucky Mkosana, who toe-poked the ball to Flores. The Salvadorian international struck a low shot from 16 yards out inside the far post.

Maurer wasn’t tested often, but did come up with a tremendous lunging save in the 34th minute, parrying over a Kevan George header from eight yards out.

Flores then played provider in the 36th minute when he took a pass from Arango, settled the ball and played a perfect cross to the edge of the six-yard box. Diosa tapped in to give the Cosmos a commanding 2-0 halftime advantage.

“That’s been a key for us in the past. We’ve lost a couple of good results because we haven’t managed the game the way we had to,” Flores said. “We’ve been working on that a lot. Mentally we knew when we scored the first goal we had to go for the second one. Now it’s getting better, but we have to keep improving, keep working.”

Moffat put the finishing touches on a comprehensive win with a blast from 24 yards out in the 79th minute for his fourth goal of the year.

“It felt great coming off my foot and then right in the back of the net,” said Moffat. “It’s always good to score and it was an important goal as well, the third goal. They were still in the game. All it takes is one goal and they’re right back in it.”

Maurer added another point-blank save in second-half stoppage time to rob Junior Sandoval and preserve the clean sheet.

The Cosmos will next travel to Oklahoma, taking on Rayo OKC this Saturday, July 16 at 9 p.m. ET.