Stewart sparks Orlando City win

WILMINGTON, North Carolina (CMC):

Demar Stewart scored one of three second-half goals that earned United Soccer League PRO Championship leaders Orlando City a 4-2 victory over Wilmington Hammerheads on Saturday at Legion Stadium.

It was the second goal this season for the Jamaican defender, helping the Lions to fortify their hold on first place in the American Division with 24 points.

After coming from 2-1 down at half-time, Orlando grabbed the lead for the first time in the match, when Stewart scored in the 64th minute.

Wilmington goalkeeper Brock Duckworth leapt for a ball that floated into the box, but he couldn't gather it in, and an alert Stewart pounced to provide the finish.

Orlando then closed the game out in the 90th minute, when Maxwell Griffin fired a hard shot from close range.

In the first half, both teams pressured each other, but the Hammerheads took the lead in the 31st minute, after the side launched three shots on goal from midfielder Alex Grendi, midfielder Luke Mulholland and finally forward Andres Cuero, who would not be denied as he tucked away his shot, low and hard, into the back of the net.

Minutes later, Wilmington goalkeeper Brock Duckworth came off his line to save a dangerous deflection, only for the ball to drop to Orlando's Trinidad & Tobago midfielder Kevin Molino, who found Jamie Watson to score into an open net, levelling the game in the 41st minute.

The Hammerheads regained the lead quickly as three minutes later forward Chris Banks trapped the ball and pushed one past Orlando City goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo to give Wilmington a 2-1 half-time lead.

But minutes into the second half, the Hammerheads committed a foul in the penalty area, allowing Watson to score his second of the game on a penalty kick and bring the scores level again before Stewart provided the late spark.

Orlando City will take on the Antigua Barracudas on Friday on home soil at the Citrus Bowl in Tampa Bay in Miami.