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Ramirez Pinho, Germann spark Madison Fire to latest championship

08/15/2013, 6:00pm CDT
By ERIC ANDERSON
Madison Soccer Association

Once again, the Madison Fire closed out a season by winning a title.

Alfredo Ramirez Pinho scored in each half and Ryan Germann (Madison West/UW-Milwaukee) posted the clean sheet as the Fire topped Paradigm 2-0 in the Madison Soccer Association Division 1 final Wednesday night at Warner Park.

"It was a great game, back and forth," said Fire manager Johnny Zafari, whose team has won four of the past six Division 1 titles – with Paradigm winning the other two in 2010 and '11. "It could have gone either way."

Ramirez Pinho gave the third-seeded Fire (7-1-3) the lead in the opening half hour, forcing a turnover by a Paradigm defender in the box and scoring on a shot from 10 yards out that clipped off the post and into the net.

It remained a one-goal game until the final 5 minutes, when Ramirez Pinho doubled the lead with a left-footed shot off a cross from Richard Rowell (Middleton/UW-Platteville). That capped a solid postseason for Rowell, who scored twice in the Fire's 3-1 extra-time victory over second-seeded Madison United in the semifinals on July 26.

Top-seeded Paradigm (9-3-0) had several good opportunities to get on the board, but couldn't solve Germann.

"Ryan made some huge saves," said Zafari, whose team avenged its lone loss – a 3-1 setback on June 16. The Fire also beat Paradigm 1-0 in a season opener back on April 28.

The MSA offseason won't likely be a long one: The league is returning to a fall-spring format, with the 2013-14 season expected to start within the next month.

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