| Andre Press Sports Ticker Sudwerk Gets Its First Point of Season By Joseph Hunter AP Soccer Writer DAVIS, Calif., Nov. 14 -- Missing three key players, FC Sudwerk engineered a remarkable 1-1 draw with River Plate Tuesday night and earned its first point of fall season by playing superb defense. Sudwerk, 0-3-1, benefited from a spectacular performance by goalkeeper Chris Lief, who turned away 23 of River Plate's shots and whose only letdown came early in the second half, when a ball deflected off a defender into the net. "We're very pleased with this result," said Ramal Werdna, FC Sudwerk president and CEO. "For anyone watching, it's clear our play has dramatically improved since the start of the season." Sudwerk, which lost to River Plate 7-0 in their first meeting three weeks ago, controlled the game from the start by passing methodically and marking tightly. Sudwerk interrupted River Plate's passing attack and allowed few good scoring opportunities in the first half. At the break, Sudwerk led 1-0, thanks to midfielder Armando Murrieta's goal. As the second half wore on, Sudwerk's defense tired, however, and River Plate opened up its offense. Clearly frustrated, River Plate sent nearly every player forward in the game's waning minutes and barraged Lief with blazing, bending shots from near and far. River Plate believed it had the game winner with a little more than 2 minutes remaining when the ball trickled into the net after defender Patrick Chandler collided with a River Plate striker 2-3 yards in front of goal. The referee called a foul on the striker and ruled the goal no good. As River Plate stretched itself pushing forward, Sudwerk counterattacked and had excellent scoring chances of its own late in the game. "Our defense was well-organized and played magnificently," Werdna said. "Our offense is improving but we still need to score more goals." Sudwerk produced 16 shots on goal, its highest for a game this season. Werdna said the club's performance was all the more impressive considering the team was without striker Bruce Berry and defenders Hans Hemann and Rob Baker. In other league action, first-place Davis United improved to 4-0 by romping over Fearless 9-2. United was led by Peter DiFalco, who netted three goals, and Robert Zaretsky, who scored twice. Sudwerk will face United at 8 p.m. next Tuesday. ## |