Rhinos Sink Islanders in Home Opener
3-1 Thumping Evens Rochester’s Record at 1-1
J-P Altieri & Keith Kiedrowski,
uslfans.com Match Reporters
Rochester
ROCHESTER, NY, May 7, 2005 – Score one to the Rhinos. With
next weekend’s 2-match clash in Puerto Rico versus the Islanders, the Rhinos
got one for the winning column Saturday at Frontier Field. One down, two to go.
A Milestone Early Strike
The Rhinos struck early and often, netting a goal in the 8’, when
striker Doug Miller notched his 75th career goal, giving the Rhinos a lead that
they never surrendered. Miller received a pass from rookie defender Scott Palguta,
raced onto the ball and poked it past Islanders 'keeper Dan Kennedy.
Just nine minutes later the Rhinos made it 2-0, as first-year
Rhino Mauro Carbajal
ran onto a loose ball inside the penalty area. Carbajal crossed the ball back
to a trailing Pato
Aguilera, who fired a low hard shot past Kennedy.
Huge Between the Sticks
Rhinos ‘keeper Scott Vallow managed to frustrate the Islanders
repeatedly by making some impressive saves. It was Vallow’s first home game
with Rochester in a couple of seasons after a brief stint in the MLS. The only
danger that Rochester encountered in the first half was in the 27’ when a shot
from the Islanders unluckily rolled across the goalmouth but never crossed the
goal line. Vallow was charging his attacker at the time and was played out of
position. A convincing showing nonetheless.
Closing the Gap
Puerto Rico hit pay dirt in the 58’ when defender Fernando Zuleta
headed in a beautiful goal from an Islanders’ corner kick. With renewed vigor,
the Islanders pushed forward looking for the equalizer, leaving gaps and holes
at the back for the Rhinos to exploit.
Sealing the Victory
After Rochester head coach Laurie Calloway made some personnel
changes immediately after the Islanders goal, the Rhinos reinstated their
authority by capitalizing on the suddenly attack-minder Islanders. In the 72’,
newcomer Rey Martinez chipped a Kirk Wilson cross past a rushing Kennedy into
the far corner of the goal to seal the victory at 3-1. The Rhinos almost made
it 4-1 four minutes later, when the ball dribbled helplessly under Kennedy,
only to hit the far post and trickle out.
Something to Build On
With such a convincing victory, the Rhinos level their record at
1 win and 1 loss. The weekend at Puerto Rico will only be a success if
Rochester comes home with winning results in both matches.
Scoring Summary
|
Time
|
Goal Scorer & Assist
|
Score
|
|
8
|
Miller (Palguta)
|
Rochester 1 - Puerto Rico 0
|
|
17
|
Aguilera (Carbajal)
|
Rochester 2 - Puerto Rico 0
|
|
58
|
Zuleta (Delgado)
|
Rochester 2 - Puerto Rico 1
|
|
72
|
Martinez (K. Wilson)
|
Rochester 3 - Puerto Rico 1
|
Starting Lineups
Y = Yellow Card
R = Red Card
Rochester Raging Rhinos
Formation: 4-4-2
24 GK – Scott Vallow
15 D – Frankie Sanfilippo
20 D – Scott Palguta
23 D – Lenin Steenkamp
27 D – Tenywa Bonseu
7 M – Pato Aguilera
8 M – Shaun Tsakiris
(Mladenov 63’)
21 M – Kirk Wilson
35 M – Rey Martinez
17 F – Mauro Carabajal (Steele 55’)
19 F – Doug Miller (J. Wilson 63’)
Puerto Rico Islanders
Formation: 4-4-2
1 GK – Dan Kennedy
3 D – Fernando Zuleta
5 D – Chris Goers
6 D – Alexis Rivera
8 D – Raphael Ortiz
11M – Junihno DaSilva (Woolfolk 87’)
17 M – Noah Delgado
19 M – Johannes Maliza
20 M – Alejandro Gonzalez (Irrera 77’)
9 F – Drew McCarthy (Salles 46’)
12 F – Isaias Barclales
How They Fared
Here’s how we feel the Rhinos fared against Puerto Rico:
8 = Highest, 0 = Lowest
|
Player
|
J-P’s Rating
|
Keith’s Rating
|
Comments
|
|
24 GK – Scott Vallow
|
7
|
6
|
Solid between the
sticks. Welcome back, Scott!
|
|
15 D – Frankie Sanfilippo
|
6
|
6
|
Did a good job
marking players on a quick team.
|
|
20 D – Scott Palguta
|
7
|
5
|
Nice pass set up
firs goal of match.
|
|
23 D – Lenin Steenkamp
|
6
|
5
|
Did a good job
marking players on a quick team.
|
|
27 D – Tenywa Bonseu
|
6
|
6
|
Did a good job
marking players on a quick team.
|
|
7 M – Pato Aguilera
|
8
|
8
|
This guy put his
stamp on the game and made it stick in the 17’ with a beauty of a goal.
|
|
8 M – Shaun Tsakiris
|
6
|
6
|
The fact that he
had cancer in the off-season and was on the pitch for most of the match
speaks volumes.
|
|
21 M – Kirk Wilson
|
6
|
5
|
Great pass to set
up the third goal. Is too apprehensive with ball. Confused?
|
|
35 M – Rey Martinez
|
8
|
8
|
Great acquisition
by the Rhinos. Will make some noise this year. Nice goal to seal the deal.
|
|
17 F – Mauro Carabajal
|
6.5
|
6
|
Picked up a
niggle in the match. Had an assist.
|
|
19 F – Doug Miller
|
7
|
7
|
75th
goal of his career. Started the match on a positive note.
|
|
Coaches
|
7.5
|
7
|
Attack-minded
football! Yay! The good times are here again!
|
Statistics
SHOTS:
ROC: 11
PR: 11
SAVES:
ROC: 5
PR: 3
FOULS:
ROC: 15
PR: 8
CAUTIONS/EJECTIONS:
ROC: 3/0
PR: 0/0
ATTENDANCE: 10,323
