A historic night for soccer in Sarasota unfolded Saturday evening as Sarasota Paradise took the field for the first professional game in club history, marking the beginning of a new era for the organization and the region’s growing soccer community.
Despite a nearly two-hour rain delay, supporters packed Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch with a record crowd of 2,791 fans, the largest attendance in club history.
The fairytale start to the season, however, was not to be. A goal by Denys Kostyshyn in the 73rd minute proved the difference, giving Boise a 1-0 victory in the club’s inaugural professional game. The contest was largely a defensive stalemate, with neither side able to break through offensively throughout the first half and deep into the second…