Historic Real win comes in dramatic way

Real Maryland 3, New York Pancyprian Freedoms 2 (OT)

With striker Muner Hussen’s follow-up header in the latter stages of a second overtime period, the Monarchs culminated a 3-2, come-from-behind victory over the Cosmopolitan Soccer League’s New York Pancyprian Freedoms last Friday night at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds in the first round of the 95th annual Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

The victory, which Real Maryland qualified for by winning two of its first five league games, sealed the USL-2 squad in a match-up with the USL-First Division Carolina RailHawks on June 24 in Cary, N.C. in the oldest soccer competition in the country. The U.S. Open Cup is open to all United States Soccer Federation clubs, from top amateur squads to Major League Soccer teams.

In fact, the Open Cup is just as, if not more important, to Monarch players than a regular-season match.

‘‘You get to be seen against the top players,” said Monarch defender Marcos Chantal, a recent addition to the team. ‘‘As a player, that’s what you want.”

The Monarchs almost never got that chance, though. They fell behind the Astoria-based amateur outfit — who won three Open Cups between 1980 and 1983 — in both the first and second halves. Freedoms striker Julio DoSantos capitalized on a Real Maryland mistake to score the game’s opening goal in the 22nd minute, and after Hussen out-jumped New York defenders for a header that knotted the score in the 56th minute, Freedoms striker Matia Damiani deflected a shot in traffic that beat goalkeeper Emilio Zelaya minutes later.

But late in the match, which was originally slated for June 10, but was postponed due to lightning, the Monarchs proved why they’re the professionals. They got a huge lift when Freedoms midfielder Panagoitis Halkidis received his second yellow card and an automatic disqualification in the 83rd minute, and they cashed in soon after.

The man behind the comeback was Real Maryland midfielder Dennis Alas, who looked like a Salvadoran Superman in the second half of the match. It was his free kick that found Hussen’s head for the first goal, and his beautiful, sidewinding boot that hit a wide-open Nilson Perez for another equalizer, this one in the 85th minute.

After creating several other scoring opportunities — he unofficially placed five shots on goal from the 80th minute on — Alas’ powerful right leg helped put the game away in the 117th minute. In the second of two 15-minute overtime periods, he took the ball down the right side and fired one of his signature, bending shots on goal, which diving New York keeper Dilmer Martinez could only parry precariously in front. Hussen beat defenders to the rebound, which he headed ever-so-slowly past a compromised Martinez.

‘‘Dennis just took a great shot,” said Hussen. ‘‘As soon as I saw it, I just wanted to get there. I didn’t know if it was ever going to go in.”

The match lasted three more minutes, and the Freedoms created one last free kick, but it amounted to nothing.

Because of the postponement, Real Maryland was forced to play less than 24 hours later, on the road against the Harrisburg City (Pa.) Islanders on Saturday night. Clearly fatigued, the Monarchs (3-6-0 in the USL-2) and their tired legs were relative no-shows in a 4-0 defeat.

But their performance on Friday night gave the home fans something to be excited about.

‘‘It’s a big opportunity for us,” said Monarchs head coach Silvino Gonzalo, ‘‘to show we can play with anybody.”