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State pro notes: Finlay has a hand in two goals as Crew net first win

04/19/2016, 9:45pm CDT
By ERIC ANDERSON
Ethan Finlay

After a slow start to the Major League Soccer season, Columbus Crew SC finally got its first win of 2016 on Saturday night – and Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) played a key role in the result.

Finlay opened the scoring in the 7th minute and set up Justin Meram for what proved to be the game-winner in the 80th as the Crew held off New York City FC 3-2 on Saturday night at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. (Watch below)

The 25-year-old Finlay, an MLS Best XI selection last season, tracked a cross played in by Meram on the left side as it was deflected across the box and finished from the right side for his first goal of the season. He scored 12 goals for MLS Cup runner-up Columbus a year ago after netting 11 times in his breakthrough 2014 season.

Then in the final quarter hour, the former FC Milwaukee attacker got a pass from Federico Higuain, broke free down the right side and squared the ball back for Meram to finish to give the Crew (1-3-2) a 3-1 lead. It was the second assist in six appearances this season for Finlay, who earned a spot on the bench on the MLS Team of the Week for his performance.

On Twitter: @EthanFinlay13

  • Midfielder-forward Tosaint Ricketts (UW-Green Bay) was training with USL club Toronto FC II as he determines the next stop in his career, Sportsnet reported. (Read full article) John Molinaro reports that the 28-year-old Canadian international left Turkish second division club Boluspor over the winter after not being paid. A source told Sportsnet that Toronto FC is interested in Ricketts, but likely couldn't sign him until the summer because of the team's salary-cap situation. Ricketts, who has has 12 goals in his 48 caps (33 starts) for Canada, also has played in Finland, Romania, Norway and Israel during his seven-year pro career. On Twitter: @TosaintRicketts
  • Genevieve Richard (UW) posted a clean sheet in her season debut Sunday as Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara blanked host Sfida Setagaya FC 1-0 in a Nadeshiko League Division 2 match in Japan. Nojima Stella, which finished second in the second-tier league in 2015 and narrowly missed promotion through the playoffs, has outscored opponents 11-0 in winning its first four games this season.
  • Goalkeeper Alex Horwath (UW) made his first appearance of the season for Norwegian top-division club SK Brann last week, but it was part of a dubious performance for the Bergen side. They fell to third-division Førde IL 5-4 on penalty kicks following a 0-0 draw in an NM Cupen match Wednesday, the first time since 1939 that Brann has been ousted in the first round of the competition. On Twitter: @AlexHorwath

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