Houston, TX(AP) - The first match of 2009 saw Shooting Stars matched up against Alliance ME. Shooting Stars, sporting their orange third jersey, came into the match as the overwhelming favorites, and they started strongly, piling heavy pressure on the Alliance goal.
But it was Alliance who came closest to opening the scoring when two of their players were left open on the back post but the shot was stopped by, the early season MVP, Erhomu Ofurhie.
The Stars didn't allow that to affect them, and from that instance on they seemed to be the only side on the field, as they completely dominated Alliance, with good work from Nnamdi Ohaurume and Glen Amakwe, who were Shooting Stars two liveliest players.
Shooting Stars continued to dominate, and in the 19th minute great work from Nnamdi down the left wing opened up an opportunity for Glen who put the ball away to give the Orange Men a 1-0 lead.
The Orange Men were completely on top at this stage, with their ball possession reading 68% compared to only 32% for Allaince. The Stars pushed forward in numbers as they looked to make the most of their territorial advantage, as Tolu Ayoola saw another goal-bound effort go begging.
Stars were reduced to ten men when center midfielder Kevin Oshur was sent off for a retailation tackle after the referee missed a call from an earlier tackle on him.
This must have been an inspiration for Allaince because ten minutes later, Alliance added more pressure in the match and were awarded on the counter attack with a goal.
As the second half started, Shooting Stars continued to be the better side, and in the 54th minute, a brilliant combination led to Glen scoring his second goal of the day. A beautifully placed through ball from DJ was met by a streaking Glen who calmly placed the ball in the back of the net.
Ten minutes from the end the second half, the Stars were reduced to nine men, when Sulaimon Ajibode was given his marching orders for arguing with the referee.
After the sending off, Alliance began to play to their true potential, bringing several defenders forward to score an elusive goal but Erhomu wasn't having any of it and sent everything back.
Shooting Stars held on, and claimed a well deserved victory. The Orange Men proved superior to their opponents for the great part of the encounter and were well worth their title triumph.
Shooting Stars now face their toughest stretch of the season, starting with first place Smokin Aces on Sunday followed by third place TFC Elite.
