The defending A-League champion Rochester Raging Rhinos won a hard-fought match by a score of 1-0 midfield against the Connecticut Wolves on Wednesday at Veterans' Memorial Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut. Substitute midfielder/forward Kirk Wilson scored the goal in the 103rd minute of the match to break the deadlock and give Rochester four crucial points in the standings.
Connecticut, coming off their first loss of the season against Long Island on Saturday, attacked from the outset. Midfielder Temoc Suarez nearly put Connecticut on top after four minutes, curling a shot past Rhinos goalkeeper Scott Vallow that struck the right post, with Wolves forward Paul Oyuga unable to finish off the hurried rebound shot. The Wolves kept pressure on the Rochester defense early in the match, with Max Zeiky and Dean Sewell frequently pushing forward and joining the attack from their positions at right and left back, respectively.
Both teams also set out to play a physical game from the start, with both sides committing several hard fouls in the early stages. Connecticut forward Fabio Zuniga picked up a yellow card in the first half for a rough challenge on Vallow. Rochester responded with hard tackles of their own, most notably a reckless scissor tackle by defender Scott Schweitzer on Zuniga that resulted in a yellow card for Schweitzer.
Rochester had their fair share of offensive opportunities as well in the first forty-five minutes, but also lacked the finishing touch. The best chance came as a result of an errant pass by Wolves goalkeeper Adam Throop which was intercepted by Rhinos forward Jamel Mitchell near the right sideline deep in Connecticut territory. Mitchell fired a shot at the empty net, but Throop dove to his left to make the save.
The Rhinos made three substitutions at halftime to try to improve their offense. Both Mitchell and his strike partner Mickey Trotman were replaced, as John Wolyniec and Kirk Wilson came on in their places. Wolyniec was particularly effective in the opening minutes, creating problems for Connecticut beacuse of his ability to win balls in the air. But the Wolves used the speed of midfielders Zuniga, Mobi Oparaku and Winston Griffiths to find gaps in the Rochester defense and create scoring chances of their own, as the teams remained evenly matched in the second half.
The Wolves then nearly took the lead in the 69th minute. Substitute forward Patrick Beech, who had just come in a few minutes before to replace Temoc Suarez, dribbled towards the Rochester goal with a defender challenging him. Beech went down inside the penalty area, but the referee ruled that the foul had occurred just outside the box. Zuniga took the dangerous free kick from 19 yards, blasting a shot off the left post.
Both teams continued the physical play in the final minutes of regulation, with each team picking up two more cautions in the final twenty minutes. Wolyniec again proved dangerous in the air, heading the ball wide of the left post by inches in stoppage time. Despite strong attacking efforts from both sides, the score remained 0-0 at the end of 90 minutes.
Wolves players Zuniga and Oyuga again created opportunities with their speed and dribbling ability in the first overtime session. But Connecticut did not finish their chances well on the day, and on these occasions both Zuniga and Oyuga shot the ball hard but straight at Vallow.
In the end, the Wolves were made to pay for the missed chances. Three minutes into the second overtime, Dan Annan, another Rochester substitute, worked the ball to the right side of the penalty area for Kirk Wilson. Wilson had enough time and space to fire a low shot into the left corner to win the game for Rochester. It was a heartbreaking defeat for Connecticut, who had drawn 1-1 in Rochester one month ago and hoped to improve on it in this match. The Wolves now have lost two straight, with another vital league and division matchup looming against Montreal on Sunday evening.
Goals: Rochester- Kirk Wilson- 103rd minute (assist to Dan Annan)
Cautions:
Connecticut: Fabio Zuniga- 18th minute
Rochester: Scott Schweitzer- 40th minute
Rochester: Tommy Tanner- 45th minute
Connecticut: Dean Sewell- 70th minute
Connecticut: Jake Dancy- 83rd minute
Rochester: Fuseini Dauda- 85th minute
Rochester: Bill Sedgewick- 87th minute
Connecticut: Mobi Oparaku- 102nd minute
Lineups: Rochester Raging Rhinos- Scott Vallow, Bill Sedgewick, Scott Schweitzer, Fuseini Dauda, Carlos Zavala (Mali Walton 46), Tommy Tanner (Dan Annan 80), Nate Daligcon, Lenin Steenkamp, Martin Nash (Steve Butcher 96), Jamel Mitchell (John Wolyniec 46), Mickey Trotman (Kirk Wilson 46)
Connecticut Wolves- Adam Throop, Max Zeiky, Adam Eyre, Antonio Soto, Dean Sewell, David Vaudreuil (Jake Dancy 62), Mobi Oparaku, Temoc Suarez (Patrick Beech 67), Winston Griffiths, Paul Oyuga, Fabio Zuniga
