Defender / assistant coach Kevin Friedland scored his first goal in three years, canceling out a first-half Pablo Campos strike, but the Minnesota Stars could only manage a 1-1 draw against league regular-season winners San Antonio on Sunday night. The draw means that Minnesota finishes the regular season in sixth place, and will travel to Puerto Rico next weekend to take on the Islanders in the first round of the NASL playoffs.
Friedland's second-half goal was one that any striker could be proud of, presuming that said striker wasn't particularly picky about the aesthetic qualities of his goals. In truth, Friedland blocked a clearing attempt in a fracas in front of the goal, a clearing attempt that may have rebounded off the goalkeeper in the first place. He then celebrated by staying down on the field, as his leg had cramped up. I'm sure he'll tell the grandkids he ran the length of the pitch, beating every defender before blasting a shot into the top corner and celebrating by jumping into a hot tub full of women, or something like that.
The Stars now travel to Puerto Rico for the playoffs, a place where they have never won in club history, and where the Islanders were difficult to beat all year. That game is set for Sunday evening at 5:00pm.