NEWS RELEASE
July 3, 2006
 

ROOKS FALL 1-0 AFTER MATCH ABANDONED
Power Failure at University Shortens Game  

The Chico Rooks appeared to have the momentum to stage a comeback against the visiting Salinas Valley Samba on Friday night but a power failure in the 55^th minute caused the game to be abandoned.   Per National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) rules, the score at the time a game is cancelled will be the official result in a game that is abandoned after more than 45 minutes of play.

The Rooks trailed the Samba 1- 0 when the stadium lights went dark.  The lights in the adjacent baseball stadium where the Chico Outlaws were hosting the San Diego Surf Dogs also failed. 

Chico dominated play through most of the first half out shooting the Samba 15 to five but were unable to find the back of the net.  In the 17^th minute of play defender Ben Gatenbein re-injured his hamstring and attempted to call for a substitute.  However, before a change could be made, Ricardo Zarate sped past Gatenbein towards goal and sent a shot past goalkeeper Nick Clark to make it 1-0.

The Rooks looked likely top make a come back in the second half as they had the run of play taking five shots to none for the Samba before the power failure.  “We should have done better in the first half with our opportunities,” said Rooks coach David Stahl, “but until the black out I was confident we were going to be able to score some goals and get back into the game.” 

Chico will travel to Sacramento to play the Knights on Sunday evening then return home to host the San Jose Frogs in their final game of  the 2006 season on Saturday, July 8^th at 7:30.

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