Rhinos Outlast Silverbacks

Win at Home Keeps Rhinos in Hunt for First Place

J-P Altieri & Keith Kiedrowski,
uslfans.com Match Reporters
Rochester

ROCHESTER, NY, August 6, 2005 – The Atlanta Silverbacks can’t seem to catch any breaks—they suffered an early exit in the US Open Cup to a lower-division team, they’re a point or two away from a possible playoff position, and most recently, they had to travel to Rochester to face a team, although winless in their last three USL Division 1 matches (2 draws, 1 loss), had convincingly beaten the mighty NY/NJ Metrostars of MLS Wednesday night, 3-1. Rochester was looking to capitalize on their newfound ability to score goals and the Silverbacks were the whipping boys.

First Strike

The game started rather methodical, which is odd for a Rhinos team that has come out in home matches all season and attempted to strike immediately. There were a few flashes of brilliance by both teams, but Rochester’s Jonathan Bolanos—the Costa Rican international—broke the deadlock at nearly a half-hour. A nice cross from Rochester midfielder Kirk Wilson found teammate Rene Rivas upfield. Rivas’ pass went square to Bolanos in the goal area, who made a kick motion that sent Atlanta ‘keeper Joe Barton diving the wrong direction. Bolanos tapped in from 6 yards to make it 1-0 to Rochester.

Four Minutes of Scoring Madness

Four minutes is not a lot of time in a 90-minute match; it was however, an important segment of tonight’s contest. Eight minutes after Bolanos put the Rhinos ahead, Atlanta was a awarded a Free Kick at the far-right edge of the Rochester penalty area, near the end line. A clever flick put the ball into play, but unfortunately for Rochester, the chipped ball deflected off a Rochester defender and past ‘keeper Scott Vallow. Atlanta seemed to be back in the match and the own goal deflated the Rhinos.

Four minutes later, however, Rochester midfielder Pato Aguilera received a Kirk Wilson pass at the top of the Atlanta penalty area, ran laterally and ripped a shot that Barton either did not see or thought was headed wide. The end result: a 2-1 lead for the home side after 38 minutes, and a total of two goals in four minutes for both sides.

Sealing the Deal

Rey Martinez—a substitute for injured Edivaldo DaSilva—put the match out of reach 10 minutes after the break, with a shot to Barton’s far post. The Rhinos weren’t content on settling for 3-1, however. Rivas’ header in the 61’ rebounded off the goalpost, and Kirk Wilson’s attempt from 20 yards in the 74’ hit the outside of the near post. Atlanta was awarded a penalty kick for a questionable foul in the 89’, which forward Rodrigo Rios converted for 3-2. All in all, the Rhinos played a solid game in front of 9,412 fans that seemed relieved the winless streak is finally over. Also, the win clears the Rhinos into sole possession of second place, 4 points behind league-leading Montreal.

Scoring Summary