Sporting Jax men salvage draw after blown lead at Loudoun United

[ASFN Admin]

Wild finish: Moments after Loudoun United had seized the lead in stoppage time, Emil Jaaskelainen blasted a top-corner goal in the 93rd minute — the third goal after the 80th minute — to help Sporting Club Jacksonville salvage a 2-2 draw in USL Championship men's soccer on July 3 in Leesburg, Va.

Lead slips away: Sporting Jax (0-11-4) was on the verge of its first-ever victory in league competition, up 1-0 with 10 minutes remaining, when Loudoun (1-5-8) exploited more shaky moments at the back. Thorleifur Ulfarsson pounced on a rebound off Sporting Jax goalkeeper Christian Olivares to set up Arquimedes Ordonez for the tying goal, and Abdellatif Aboukoura blasted a 20-yard shot past Olivares in added time.

Quick free kicks: Sporting Jax netted its opening goal in first-half stoppage time when Kieran Sadlier scored from a tight angle off a Jaaskelainen assist. … Jacksonville's losing streak ended at three games but the club remains at the bottom of the 13-team Eastern Conference. … Loudoun outshot Sporting Jax 19-12.

Up next: Still in search of its first league win, Sporting Jax returns home to meet the Pittsburgh Riverhounds at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 15 at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Sporting Jax men salvage draw after blown lead at Loudoun United

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