Anders Dreyer’s goal in the 39th minute was all Duran Ferree and the San Diego FC defense needed to produce a 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday in a Western Conference clash in Kansas City, Kan.
Ferree had to stop just three shots and got plenty of help from his teammates to secure his third consecutive clean sheet for San Diego FC (3-0-0, 9 points), who have begun the season in perfect fashion with three wins while keeping the opposition scoreless over all 270 minutes.
Sporting goalkeeper John Pulskamp was heroic in the loss, stopping four shots – including a few from point-blank range when the San Diego attack found room in the Kansas City defense.
Neither team had a shot on target until Dreyer found the net, receiving a pass from Onni Valakari just outside the box and curling a shot past Pulskamp to the left side of the goal to put San Diego up. Luca Bombino also garnered an assist for the pass that started the scoring play.
Pulskamp was called to action soon after on a header from Valakari in the 42nd minute but he was up to the task with a desperate kick save.
Sporting (0-1-2, 1 point) finally got a shot on target when Dejan Joveljic had a high-percentage chance in the 45th minute that Ferree stopped on the doorstep to keep his shutout streak intact and allow his team to carry a one-goal lead to halftime.
San Diego stayed aggressive in the second half, with Valakari glancing the outside of the right post on a blistering shot in the 53rd minute and Dreyer ripping a high percentage shot off Pulskamp three minutes later. The Sporting keeper stopped Dreyer again in the 67th minute and in the 76th minute, the latter when the ball was deflected away when hit his left bicep.
Taylor Calheira nearly provided the equalizer for Sporting in the 88th minute, rolling in on Ferree with a defender on his back and pushing a weak shot toward the goal that the San Diego keeper dove to his right to bat away at the final second.
Stephen Afrifa also forced a save from Ferree in added time but could not find the net.
–Field Level Media
