Cleveland SC claimed a 1-0 victory at Flower City Union on Saturday thanks to an own goal from N. Romero in the 90th minute — a cruel ending for the home side in a bad-tempered NPSL affair.
For 89 minutes, neither team could find a breakthrough. What they found instead was the referee's notebook. S. Burton picked up the first booking in the 32nd minute for Cleveland, and L. Piazza followed for Flower City Union seven minutes later, setting the tone for a fractious contest. The cards kept coming after the break — R. Fitzgerald was cautioned in the 50th minute, E. O'Dwyer-Hall five minutes later, and A. Faye in the 78th as the game grew increasingly scrappy.
The match appeared destined for a goalless draw. Then the final minutes arrived and the drama condensed. Q. Herrmann was booked in the 88th minute for Cleveland. Romero joined him in the book a minute later. And in the 90th, it was Romero who turned the ball into his own net, handing Cleveland all three points in the most painful fashion imaginable.
Seven yellow cards and not a single goal from open play — yet the result was decisive. Flower City Union, who had done enough defensively for the vast majority of the match, were undone at the death by one of their own.
Cleveland SC will take it. An away win is an away win, no matter how it comes, and the three points could prove significant as the NPSL season moves deeper into the summer stretch.