Cosmos Fall for First Time in 26 Games at Hofstra University 1-0 to San Antonio

The San Antonio Scorpions did something no other NASL club has been able to do in the Cosmos history; hand the Cosmos a loss at James M. Shuart Stadium.

But the Scorpions did just that Saturday night defeating the Cosmos 1-0 in front of a small crowd of 4,130 and ending their 25 game unbeaten streak at Hofstra University. The match's only goal came in the 15th minute after forward Eric Hassli headed a rebound past goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer. Danny Barrera took the initial shot after maneuvering through New York's defense.

"It was just tough," Maurer said about the game's only goal. "The guy made a really great playing getting in and then he's one-v-one with me. I was able to make the first safe with my feet, but he hit it hard and I just had to make it with my feet. Unluckily it just went right to Hassli's head. Just a tough one."

The loss also ended a 14 game unbeaten and span of 372 minutes that the Cosmos did not allow their opponents to score a single goal.

Although the Cosmos lost the match, New York had a strong performance. The Cosmos outshot the Scorpions 21-5 and lead in possession 57 percent to 43. Cosmos' Head Coach Giovanni Savarese was pleased with his squads performance after the final whistle had blown, despite the loss.

"We had the most possession, we created a few chances," Savarese said. "... I think the good thing about today I leave this game with a better feeling than I had when we won 4-0, because we played good soccer today. We were very good. We just needed to be a little more aggressive inside the box. I think towards the end we got a little bit into the game and and put balls inside the box.

"But I think if we play this game nine times more the result isn't going to be the same."

The Cosmos aren't dwelling on the loss or the end of the home unbeaten streak. Maurer called the streak a "public media thing."

"We're not worried about streaks, we're worried about the next game," he said. "Day in and day out, getting better, and working as a team. It's a long season for us, so streaks always end. We gotta put the season together and make sure we're as strong as we can be for next game."

New York's next game is next Monday when they host the Carolina Rail Hawks.