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One more kick for Drillers at NPSL playoff chase |
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Written by Joanne Ireland
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Friday, 27 March 1998 |
Some time soon, maybe as early as tonight, the Edmonton Drillers will be haunted by flashbacks -- those fourth- quarter losses, those 16 games lost on the road, those infernal what ifs.
For the moment, however, there is a shred of hope. One more kick at the proverbial cat.
The Drillers are in Montreal's Molson Centre for a must-win game against the Impact. The two National Professional Soccer League clubs -- tied with a regular season mark of 16-22 -- are vying for the remaining playoff berth in the National Conference.
Edmonton's only shot is a win over Montreal. From there, there are a couple of different scenarios that will come into the play for the final game of the regular season campaign, none of which matter without a win over the Impact.
"We still have an opportunity to make the playoffs," said midfielder Doug Holloway. "We can still make this a successful season but it's all up to us now."
"We can't really look back now," said goalkeeper Scott Hileman. "We have a job to do in Montreal and that's the bottom line. So we're going to go in kicking, and we'll see what happens."
The Drillers, after a taxing road trip, returned to Edmonton on Monday afternoon and then dropped an 8-6 decision to Montreal the following night. It was not the Drillers' finest hour, one more reason the club is not yet ready to call it a season.
"I know we can out-run that team, out-work that team," said Holloway. "It's hard to go into a game knowing you are physically exhausted.
"We had just come off a very hard trip, one that was physically and emotionally exhausting."
Drillers coach Ross Ongaro also takes heart from knowing his team was played out during their last encounter.
"If they had come in here and beaten us when we were fresh and hungry we would be disheartened," said Ongaro. "But knowing that it was still a close game, and that we took it to them in the second half, will play to our advantage."
The Drillers are 3-16 on the road, the Impact 10-9 at home. But the Montreal lineup is laden with experience, and in a late-season run, eerily familiar to the Drillers, the Impact have rebounded from a 6-18 start.
Back in January, the Impact lured Paul Kitson out of retirement. A month later, the forward replaced head coach Johan Aarnio -- the Impact responded, at one point running up a 10-game win streak to vault the club back into playoff contention.
"I just thought if we used my experience indoors, and made players believe in themselves, like Nickie and a lot of the guys who had given up hope on the season, that it was possible for us to turn things around," said Kitson.
Now they have.
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DRILL BITS
THE FIRST STEP: It's all or nothing for the Drillers tonight in Montreal. Win the big game, and the playoff door remains open. Lose it and it's over for the Edmonton squad.
WEEKEND MADNESS: Both the Impact and the Drillers, tied at 16- 22, have two games to play, including tonight's tilt. Because Montreal has a 4-1 edge in the series, the Impact are not out of the running with a loss but they will have to upset the Milwaukee Wave at home Saturday in the Bradley Centre, where the Wave is 17-1. If that's the scenario that unfolds, Edmonton has to win Sunday when they host the Cincinnati Silverbacks.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 28 January 2007 )
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