KNOXVILLE FORCE ENDS ITS INAUGURAL SEASON AGAINST KNOXVILLE METRO SOCCER LEAGUE ALL STARS

Home cooking was the fare Saturday evening at Regal Soccer Stadium on a field that would have served as a griddle—the temperature at game time was 95 degrees on the pitch.  Knoxville Force, in its inaugural season as a National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) franchise, played its final game of the season against an All Star team assembled from Knoxville’s adult recreational league, the Knoxville Metro Soccer League (KMSL).   Numerous Knoxville men and women have played high school and college soccer and KMSL provides them the opportunity to continue playing the world’s sport as they grow older.
Chase Nieri started the scoring for the Force with an unassisted goal in the 9th minute of the game.  In the 22nd minute, Joe Townsend scored the second Force goal on a header with an assist by Ben Backstrom.  Alessi Osario scored the third Force goal with an assist by Greg Young in the 28th minute.  In the 45th minute, Fubi Itode scored the Force’s fourth goal.
Halftime activities have been a key component of the entertainment for fans attending the Knoxville Force home games.  Papa John’s Pizza sponsored a “free kick for free pizza contest” and then nearly 20 pairs of fans, one blindfolded and one serving as coach, competed to score “blind goals”.  A number of soccer playing fans who wore their game jerseys to the stadium gained reduced cost admittance to the game and were recognized at half time.
Brandon Tarr scored the fifth Force goal five minutes into the second half.  The Force’s Tom Winspear scored the sixth goal at 58 minutes into the game.  Tarr also scored the seventh Force goal with an assist from Camden Brown in the 61st minute. Final score for the game:  Knoxville Force–7, KMSL All Stars–0.
Knoxville Force has improved its play throughout the season and, in the past several weeks with two significant NPSL league wins and a tie against a major international team, has clearly shown that a higher level of soccer has come to Knoxville in 2011.  The owner of the Force, Knoxville Soccer LLC, announced this week that Women’s Professional Soccer League franchise has been granted for the Knoxville Lady Force to play alongside the Force for the 2012 season.  For information on the Force and the Lady Force, follow their websites at knoxvilleforce.com and www.knoxvilleladyforce.com .