Rochester Takes Slim Lead In Playoff Series
Montreal Ekes One Back Late to Set Up Showdown in Quebec
Sunday
J-P Altieri & Keith Kiedrowski,
a-league.com Match Reporters
Rochester
ROCHESTER, NY, September 8, 2003 – With the unofficial
end of summer just past us, the A-League post-season begins. One of the most
storied rivalries in the A-League—Rochester and Montreal—was set to face off
again. Montreal versus Rochester, Bob Lilly versus Pat Ercoli, what could a fan
ask for more in an opening series?
Both teams came into the match struggling. Rochester has had a
difficult time maintaining a lead in matches all season, while Montreal has had
trouble scoring. With no love lost between these two sides, the match quickly
got off to an explosive start. Fifteen seconds into the match, Rhinos forward
Doug Miller was through on a break away but put his shot just past the far
post. The Rhinos would not let up, and in the 4th minute Miller was
taken down inside the Montreal goal box and awarded a penalty. However, before
the kick could be taken, a scuffle erupted and the Rhinos’ Ian Fuller was on
the ground grasping his head. When the dust settled, Fuller and Montreal’s
Nevio were sent off.
It took 4 minutes to get it straightened out, but the time did
nothing to disrupt the confidence of Rochester’s Stoian Mladenov, as he sent a
low shot to the left for the PK past Montreal ‘keeper Craig Sutton.
From this point forward, the match lost some of its luster and
became comparatively dull. Montreal would have the ball more on Rochester’s
half, but before they could really generate any sort of scoring chance, the
Rhinos would take the ball away and try for a quick counterattack.
Both team’s keepers kept the score as it was for the first half,
with Sutton stopping sure goal-bound headers at the last second and Andracki
pouncing on a few balls that were bouncing around the goal box.
The second half would quickly see Rochester add to their lead
when Mladenov sent a low though ball near the Montreal goal box that Miller was
able to beat everyone to and send a show into the far side of the net, past a
charging Sutton.
The Rhinos looked as if they would add another in the 59’, when
again a low through ball was sent in but this time the runner, Lenin Steenkamp,
put his shot wide of the net.
Rochester kept up the attack and in the 69th minute
they looked to pay the price for being so aggressive. Montreal was able to get
a one on one with Andracki who managed to cut off the angle enough to force a
low shot that he was able to save. From this point forward, Rochester would
fall back into a defensive mode.
While Montreal had made numerous subs at this point, Rochester
looked to stick with the players on the field. With some exhaustion setting in
and poor marking, former Rhinos midfielder Martin Nash was able to chip a ball
over the defense with little effort. Ze Roberto Santana was able to get control
of the ball and placed his shot into the empty far side of the net.
Rochester would manage to hold onto their lead but giving up that
goal could be very costly. The Series now moves to Montreal for a Match Sunday
afternoon. Montreal needs to win the match by two goals in order to advance,
while Rochester just needs to hold on for a tie. With that in mind, Rochester
has not won a match in Montreal since 1998.
|
Time
|
Goal Scorer & Assist
|
Score
|
|
8’
|
Mladenov [PK]
|
ROC 1 – MON 0
|
|
50’
|
Miller [Mladenov]
|
ROC 2 – MON 0
|
|
84’
|
Santana [Nash]
|
ROC 2 – MON 1
|
Starting Lineups
Y = Yellow Card
R = Red Card
Rochester Raging Rhinos
Formation: 4-4-2
1 GK – Bill Andracki
6 D – Carlos Mendes
3 D – Craig Demmin
4 D – Scott Schweitzer
11 D – Bill Sedgewick
10 M – Stoian Mladenov
21 M – Kirk Wilson [Y]
12 M – David Hayes [Suarez 81’]
23 M – Lenin Steenkamp
24 F – Ian Fuller [R]
19 F – Doug Miller [Mitchell 90’]
Opponent
Formation: 4-4-2
1 GK – Greg Sutton
3 D – Jason Ditullio
5 D – Nevio Pizzolitto [R]
7 D – Drew Kopp [Francois 56’]
8 D – Gabriel Gervais
17 M – Chris Williams [Ribiero 63’]
6 M – Mark Rowland [Ngon 67’]
10 M – ZeRoberto Santana
15 M – Patrick Leduc [Lemire 67’]
21 F – Martin Nash
20 F – Mauro Biello
How They Fared
Here’s how we feel the Rhinos fared against Opponent:
8 = Highest, 0 = Lowest
|
Player
|
J-P’s Rating
|
Keith’s Rating
|
Comments
|
|
1 GK – Bill Andracki
|
7.5
|
7
|
Out of position
on Ze Roberto’s goal. Nearly allowed 2, but Nash’s FK hit the post, Bill’s
best friend tonight.
|
|
5 D – Carlos Mendes
|
7.5
|
7
|
Played sound at
the back. No one ever got behind him. Kept play ahead of him and downfield.
|
|
3 D – Craig Demmin
|
7
|
7
|
Played better
tonight than most of the year, cutting out potential goals and clear shots.
|
|
4 D – Scott Schweitzer
|
5.5
|
5
|
Held the ball too
long and hot-dogged several times. Fellow defenders cleaned up nearly
disastrous passes every time.
|
|
11 D – Bill Sedgewick
|
6
|
6
|
Ran hard and
marked decently.
|
|
10 M – Stoian Mladenov
|
8
|
8
|
Scored the first
goal and assisted on the second. Brought his “A” game.
|
|
21 M – Kirk Wilson
|
7
|
7
|
Hustled hard and
tried everything to make chances. Boneheaded yellow in the 90’.
|
|
12 M – David Hayes
|
6.5
|
6
|
Looked solid and
played good. Made a few mistake when distributing the ball.
|
|
23 M – Lenin Steenkamp
|
5
|
5
|
Played spotty and
looked off aim when he took shots. Maybe an off night for Lenin.
|
|
24 F – Ian Fuller
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Inexplicable red
early on.
|
|
19 F – Doug Miller
|
6.5
|
7
|
Played well and
scored. Passing is also a part of soccer; but that’s something Doug doesn’t
and won’t do.
|
|
Coaches
|
6
|
5
|
The Rhinos do
have bench players! Hello? Hello? Is anyone hearing us? Some folks were on
the pitch too long. Conservative last 10 minutes of match nearly resulted in
a draw.
|
Statistics
SHOTS:
ROC: 11
MON: 8
SAVES:
ROC: 3
MON: 4
FOULS:
ROC: 13
MON: 16
CAUTIONS/EJECTIONS:
ROC: 1/1
MON: 0/1
ATTENDANCE: 8,339
