Freezz 5, Pythons 4WEST VALLEY CITY -- The Utah Freezz can play chess or lapse into a mini coma -- it really doesn't matter. Nothing they do will prevent the waiting game. Whether it's patiently or anxiously, the Freezz no longer control their playoff future, that's in the hands of the Portland Pythons, the team they beat 5-4 Monday night.
A loss would've eliminated Utah, something that seemed inevitable two and a half quarters into the game. But with the victory, the Freezz are still kicking.
"We did what we had to do, now it's out of our hands," said Utah Freezz coach Dave Poggi.
It's really quite simple. Utah finished with a 12-10 record while Portland fell to 10-10 with two games remaining. Only four teams make the World Indoor Soccer League playoffs, and Sacramento, Dallas and Monterrey have already locked up berths. The final coveted spot is still unknown, but as Beau Brown said, the Freezz player who scored Monday's game-winning goal, "We're planning on playing in two weeks."
Brown rationalizes the prediction because Portland still must face Dallas and Monterrey on the road and needs to win both games to tie Utah at 12-10 in the league standings. The Pythons have the tiebreaker edge, so the Freezz are praying for at least one loss.
"I praise them if they win both games, but those are the two toughest places to place in the WISL," said Brown.
The likelihood of Utah even caring about Portland's remaining two games seemed impossible during much of Monday's game. Portland's Jeff Betts scored in the game's first 26 seconds and then again at 4:50 giving the Pythons the 2-0 lead.
The Freezz managed to tack on a goal with 1:09 remaining in the half when Brown booted in a Lee Edgerton corner kick, something the duo works on daily in practice.
Poggi didn't get down on his team at halftime, he just challenged them.
Initially the pep talk seemed worthless as Betts tacked on two more goals early in the third quarter. The Freezz somehow kept their composure, maybe because they'd rallied from a similar deficit against Houston two weeks ago by scoring three times in 81 seconds.
Justin Labrum cut it to 4-2 with five minutes left in the third, and his hustle play led to Myles Stoddard's goal three minutes later.
"We just had to break the ice, and then there's nothing to do but swim," said Poggi.
Twenty-seven seconds into the final quarter, Dave Huber electrified the 8,281 fans in the stands with what seemed like a missile leaving his foot and blasting into the net past a helpless keeper.
"Early on (Dave) couldn't get into the flow of the game, but once he does, he's got one of the cleanest shots on the team," said Poggi.
The crazy pace eventually settled down, but not before Utah killed a Portland power play early in the fourth quarter.
Then with 8:50 showing on the clock Brown received a gift near the top of the box in the form of a wide-open shot. He was quick to praise Labrum and Shane Jones, whose refusal to loose possession along the boards led to the easy goal.
Following the game the Freezz auctioned off their jerseys with all the proceeds going to help fight breast cancer. The team raised $13,016, with the biggest chunk coming when Freezz defender Brian Alba's jersey brought in $3,300. Alba's mother, Nancy, died of breast cancer seven years ago, and his little sister, Katie, gathered money from friends and family during the past few months to buy her brother's jersey.