NASHVILLE, TN - The Nashville Metros only had to play good defense for one more minute to break their eight-game losing strike on Saturday night but a last-minute defensive collapse handed the Atlanta Silverbacks (7-1-5, 22 points) an improbable 3-2 victory at Ezell Park. It was a see-saw, chippy match that saw referee Thai Huynh hand out two ejections and five cautions while whistling thirty fouls on the two teams.

With the score deadlocked at 2-2 in the final minute, the Silverbacks’ Jeff Scanella heaved a long throw-in to teammate Ryan Roushandel, who somehow found himself wide open in the center of the field just fifteen yards from the Nashville goal. His quick shot into the left side of the net was his second of the night and a crusher for the Metros, who have now lost nine straight matches, including four to Atlanta.

The Metros got off to a strong start, breaking on top 1-0 in the 15th minute when Bryan Lowder controlled the ball on the left side of the field and launched a long aerial pass to Nashville’s Fabricio Montalvan. Controlling it off his chest on a dead run with an Atlanta defender on his heels and Silverbacks goalkeeper Terrance Dieterich charging at him, Montalvan deftly lofted a shot over Dieterich that softly dented the far corner of the net for his first goal of the year.

Atlanta got an equalizer 20 minutes later when Sam Arthur tried to penetrate the center of Nashville’s defense on the dribble. Although he was blocked with a hard tackle, the ball skittered past two Metros defenders for an onrushing Roushandel, who chipped his shot past lunging Nashville keeper Kyle Roelke to knot the score.

The match took an ugly turn just minutes later when Montalvan and Atlanta’s Danny Irizarry got tangled up in the middle of the field and went down as they battled for a loose ball. Irizarry came up swinging at Montalvan, drawing players from both sides into a scrum around them. When Huynh finally got them separated, Irizarry was ejected from the match and the teams went to the locker room tied at 1-1.

Playing a man down in the second half, Atlanta nevertheless managed to keep Nashville off the scoreboard and keep pressure on the Metros. Their pressure paid off in the 75th minute when an Atlanta attacker was taken down from behind on a tackle by Montalvan just 25 yards from the Nashville goal. Scanella tipped the ensuing free kick to teammate Patrick Murray, who pounded a shot through traffic past Roelke to give the Silverbacks a 2-1 advantage.

But the Metros came storming back in the 80th minute when late substitute Russell Runyeon controlled a ball fourty yards from Atlanta’s goal and pounded a screaming shot that whistled past Dieterich to tie the game at 2-2. It was rookie Runyeon’s first goal for the Metros.

With both teams pushing for the victory in the game’s waning moments, it was Nashville’s defense that broke down in the 89th minute on Scanella’s long throw and Roushandel’s second goal of the night.

The Metros (2-0-11, 6 points) will play the sixth international match in Nashville’s history next Friday night when they play Mexican second division power Rayados of Monterey at 8:00 p.m. at Ezell Park. A women’s match pitting Chivas against Morelia of Mexico will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the two-match night will be $8.00 for children under 12 and $15.00 for adults. The Metros complete their Premier Development League home season on Saturday.

SCORING SUMMARY
Nashville: Fabricio Montalvan (Bryan Lowder), 15'
Atlanta: Ryan Roushandel (Sam Arthur), 35'
Atlanta: Patrick Murray (Jeff Scannella), 75'
Nashville: Russell Runyeon, 80'
Atlanta: Ryan Roushandel (Jeff Scannella), 89'

SHOTS: Nashville 10, Atlanta 15
SAVES: Nashville 4, Atlanta 4
FOULS: Nashville 20, Atlanta 10

NASHVILLE LINE-UP: Kyle Roelke, Jason Bristol, Santiago Snellgrose, Dustin Dawes, Gus Teren (Russell Runyeon), Bryan Lowder (Michael Marten), Danny Devall, Patrick McFarland, Fabricio Montalvan (Darrell Johnson), Tony Garabaldi (Francisco Cano), Nata Oropeza

CAUTIONS
Nashville: Danny Devall (2), Gus Teren, Jason Bristol
Atlanta: Patrick Murray

EJECTIONS
Nashville: Danny Devall
Atlanta: Danny Irizarry

GOALKEEPERS
Nashville: Kyle Roelke, 90 minutes, 15 shots, 4 saves, 3 goals against
Atlanta: Terrance Dieterich, 90 minutes, 10 shots, 4 saves, 2 goals against

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