DRAPER — Entering Friday night's Premier Soccer League tilt with Albuquerque, the Utah Salt Ratz found themselves mired in a four-way tie for the third spot in the table. A dramatic goal by TJ Waters in the 86th minute lifted the Salt Ratz to a dramatic 2-1 win over the Asylum. More importantly, Utah picked up three important points at the expense of a team it was sharing third-place with.
"We needed the three points," Utah coach Bob Martin said.
Waters' goal capped a Salt Ratz comeback that erased a 1-0 second-half deficit. With Utah pushing forward late in the second half, Andrew Oshay's long cross from the left touch line found the head of Waters, who managed to turn the ball past the Albuquerque keeper.
After Utah's Adam Acosta nearly scored off a bicycle kick in the first half, Albuquerque earned a penalty kick in the 24th minute when Eric Carlson went down in the box. Joshua Veryser converted from the spot to give the Asylum the lead.
In the second half, Utah carried more of the possession while creating better chances. The Salt Ratz's persistence paid off when Shane Curran earned a Utah penalty in the 70th minute. Curran calmly stepped up to the spot and buried his shot to level the score at 1-1 before Waters' winner in the 86th.
The fact that the Salt Ratz scored twice will be something of a relief for Martin. Utah's coach said that injuries have hurt his team's ability to finish throughout the early season.
"We're just now getting comfortable," he said.
Utah will play in Denver tonight in a home-opener for the Denver Kickers, a prospective Premier League team.
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