The Rhinos (4-1-2, 18 pts.) managed to walk away with only one point on Friday versus the suddenly surging Montreal Impact (4-6-1, 19 pts.), drawing 0-0. The Impact, a slow starter last year and an even slower starter this year, have come alive as of late, looking to be in good form. They proved this by squelching out all 10 Rochester shots, including a Lenin Steenkamp header in the 86th minute, that was stopped by 'keeper Greg Sutton's best friend: the left post.
Play in the first half showcased Montreal's newfound prowess on offense, as they charged into the Rhinos' half of the field and maintained possession there for nearly 30 minutes. Rochester made a few feeble attempts at the Impact goal, but to no avail. It appeared as if Montreal's tight ball control and crisp passing took the Rhinos aback. They played very apprehensive in the early going, appearing scared of the Impact.
By the second half, the crowd of 11,475 was getting impatient and bored. This persisted until roughly the 56th minute, when Rhinos F John Wolyniec was substituted in for F Jamel Mitchell. Immediately, the Rhinos attack came to life, but Sutton would have none of it. He turned away shot after shot, and his defense smothered, albeit through 31 fouls, every attempt Rochester mustered.
It's hard to say if there really was a "man of the match". Both teams took it to each other, in a game laden with fouls and tight defense. Perhaps for Montreal, Greg Sutton and his left post could share honors.
Inside Track/Fantasy A-League Information:
· Rochester defenders Fuseini Dauda (12') and Scott Schweitzer (60') were carded in the match. Impact defender Milan Kojic was also carded in the 43'.
· Rhinos GK Pat Onstad broke his hand Wednesday in practice. He's projected to return in 6-8 weeks. Scott Vallow is the starter, and Bill Andracki has been recalled from the Atlanta Silverbacks.
· Each goalie, Vallow (ROC) and Greg Sutton (MON), had 1 save. Vallow faced 4 shots and Sutton 10.
Scoring Summary
1 2 OT 1 OT 2 Final
MON 0 0 0 0 0
ROC 0 0 0 0 0
Goals: None
Rochester Lineup: Vallow, Sedgewick, Dauda, Schweitzer, Walton, Nash (Annan 102'), Daligcon (Zavala 90'), Steenkamp, Tanner (Mladenov 70'), Wilson (Kirmse 98'), Mitchell (Wolyniec 56')
Rating the Rhinos
On a scale of 8 (highest), here's how the Rhinos fared versus Montreal:
| Pos.
| Name
| J-P's
Rating
| Keith's
Rating
| Comments
|
| GK
| Vallow
| 7.5
| 7.0
| Played a great game, yet hardly tested after the first 20 minutes. Frustrated with his team's lack of offense this year.
|
| D
| Sedgewick
| 5.0
| 5.0
| Played awful on defense. 6 unforced errors in the first half.
|
| D
| Dauda
| 7.0
| 6.5
| Consistently frustrated the Montreal forwards and midfielders.
|
| D
| Schweitzer
| 6.0
| 5.5
| Played stupid at times, causing fouls and being a hothead. Received another yellow card.
|
| D
| Walton
| 7.0
| 6.0
| Solid defensive effort.
|
| M
| Nash
| 7.0
| 6.5
| Always a gem to watch. Seemed ineffective in the first half. Set up some nice chances in the second half and overtime.
|
| M
| Steenkamp
| 5.0
| 5.0
| Perhaps his welcome in Rochester is finally wearing off. Hurt more than helped, which seems to be becoming a prevalent theme…
|
| M
| Daligcon
| 5.0
| 5.0
| The "Invisible Man". Disappeared for long gaps and had only one quality chance to win the game. Disappointing, and should not be starting.
|
| M
| Tanner
| 7.0
| 6.0
| Setup up many attempts that turned out futile. Playing very aggressive, off to a fast start this year. Seemed to be marked man throughout the match, taking many fouls.
|
| F
| Mitchell
| 6.0
| 6.0
| Speed demon. Errant shots throughout the game, though.
|
| F
| Wilson
| 6.0
| 6.0
| Played well in the front with Mitchell and with Wolyniec. Still has some things to prove to fans, however.
|
| -
| Coaches
| 5.5
| 5.0
| The team seemed scared of Montreal. Although the Rhinos played great defense (and some exciting offense in the second half), this game plan was disappointing to say the least.
|
