NEW YORK - The New York Cosmos remained undefeated in NPSL Members Cup action, recording a 2-0 victory over Michigan Stars FC at Ultimate Soccer Arenas on Saturday night.
Midfielder Darwin Espinal and forward Aly Hassan scored for the Cosmos, who improved to 2-0-1 and seven points while the Stars fell to 0-1-1 with 1 point.
Espinal scored his first goal of the Members Cup campaign, firing home Bledi Bardic's right-wing feed from the penalty spot to give the Cosmos a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute.
The Cosmos dominated possession for huge stretches of the second half and their persistence was rewarded in the 59th minute behind a brilliant Hassan strike from the top edge of the penalty area for a two-goal advantage. It was the second game in a row that Hassan scored.
Goalkeeper Santiago Castano recorded his second shutout of the season as his goals-against average dropped to 0.66. He made several vital stops to keep the Cosmos in the match. With the game only three minutes old, Castano parried a Michigan shot away for a corner kick and stopped a charging Michigan player from getting a scoring opportunity by kicking the ball out of bounds. In the 87th minute, he denied an 11th-hour effort by Stars FC to record the clean sheet.
Both of the Cosmos' wins have come on the road, earning a 1-0 triumph over Chattanooga FC on August 10.
The Cosmos return home to host Napa Valley 1839 FC at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale, N.Y., on Saturday, September 7 at 7 p.m.
