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Rochester Rhinos

Unbeaten Rochester Travels to Montreal on Saturday

May 1, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rochester Rhinos News Release


ROCHESTER, NY - The Rochester Rhinos return to Quebec for the second time this season to play FC Montreal Impact on Saturday, May 2nd 2015 at 4PM.

The Rochester Rhinos will enter Saturday afternoon's contest on a six match unbeaten streak, and are currently in second place in the Eastern Conference with 14 points from a 4-0-2 start to the 2015 campaign. The Rhinos defense has been the foundation on which head coach Bob Lilley has built his team's early season success. Rochester will enter the weekend with the best defensive record and most clean sheets in USL. However, it has been the 2015 Rhinos offensive renaissance that has kindled the hope that this team may take Rochester to its first final since 2006. The Rhinos currently rank third in USL in shots with 75, and sixth in goals with nine in their first six matches.

Rochester Rhinos forward Alex Dixon currently leads the team in scoring. Dixon matched the three goals he scored in his 2014 campaign with Rochester in the first month of the 2015 season. Dixon played three seasons with Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer prior to joining the Rhinos last season. Before signing with the Dynamo as a home grown player, the Bay City, Texas native starred for three seasons at the University of North Carolina where the Tar Heels made the NCAA College Cup every season from 2008 to 2010.

Saturday afternoon will be the second meeting between FC Montreal and the Rochester Rhinos this season. The Rhinos defeated FC Montreal 3:0 on the turf field outside Saputo Stadium when the two teams previously met on April 11th 2015. Jonny Mendoza opened the scoring for visiting Rochester when he finished a well placed shot into the upper right hand corner from 23 yards out in the 34th minute. FC Montreal center back Franck Zoue was sent off in the 64th minute of the match when the head referee determined that Zoue had denied the Rhinos Dixon a clear goal scoring opportunity when he tackled him from behind at the top of the box. Rochester turned their man advantage into two goals from substitute Christian Volesky in the next six minutes to secure all three points. The April meeting was the 54th between the two historic rivals.

FC Montreal will enter Saturday's match at the bottom of the USL Eastern Conference with zero points from a 0-4-0 start to the 2015 season including a 0-3-0 mark at home. However, the Rhinos are entering the match fully aware of the potential fire power that the home side could have at their disposal on Saturday afternoon.

"At the beginning of the season Montreal was using their USL team to give matches to their U18 and U23 Academy players. As the season has progressed the Impact have begun to use FC Montreal to give first team players some minutes. The Impact just played in the CONCACAF Champion's League Final on Wednesday night, and do not have a match this weekend. That gives them a lot of different options that they could put on the field on Saturday afternoon." Rochester Rhinos head coach Bob Lilley said.

Saturday afternoon's match can be seen live in its entirety via streaming video on FC Montreal's YouTube Live channel with navigation from the USL home page.

The Rhinos return to Rochester on Saturday, May 9th 2015 at 7PM in Sahlen's Stadium against Toronto FC II. Rochester Rhinos season tickets, flex packages, group sales tickets, and individual match tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling (585)454-KICK (5425), online via Ticketmaster, or by visiting the MVP Health Care Box Office at Sahlen's Stadium during business hours.

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