NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Rochester Rhinos

Rochester Advances to Fourth Round of 2015 Open Cup

May 27, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rochester Rhinos News Release


ROCHESTER, NY - The Rochester Rhinos have a lot of memorable moments in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup - from their run through the newly opened downtown stadium Frontier Field to the finals in 1996, to becoming the only team outside of Major League Soccer to win the competition in 1999, to memorable upsets of MLS sides over the past 15 years.

On Wednesday, May 27th 2015 Rochester added another remarkable chapter to their twenty year history in the competition with a 3:1 victory in added extra time over the Harrisburg City Islanders in the Third Round of the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Rochester striker Steevan Humberto Fortes dos Santos was sent off for his second booking in the 38th minute leaving the visiting Rhinos to play the rest of the match with ten men. However, Rochester Hall of Fame Coach Bob Lilley organized the most unlikely of results for the visiting Rhinos.

After ninety minutes and one fifteen minute period of added extra time ended scoreless, the two sides scored four goals in the frantic final fifteen minutes of the match. Brett Jankouskas opened the scoring for Harrisburg off of an assist from Philadelphia Union loanee Eric Bird in the 106th minute. Kenardo Forbes responded by scoring his second goal in as many Open Cup matches one minute later when he finished off an assist from Jamaican rookie Asani Samuels for the visitors. Samuels went on to score the match winning goal in the 115th minute, and secured the Rhinos place in the Fourth Round with an insurance goal in the 120th minute. The two goals and one assist were the first points in Samuel's career, and instantly made him one of the most unlikely heroes in the Rhinos legendary U.S. Open Cup history.

In true Harrisburg-Rochester fashion the U.S. Open Cup tie was toughly contested as the two sides combined for nine cautions and one red card.

The Rochester Rhinos entered Wednesday night's Third Round match with a more traditional line-up than they used in last Wednesday night's 1:0 victory over GBFC Thunder of the NPSL. USL's top statistical goalkeeper Brandon Miller was in net for Rochester, and left back Onua Thomas Obasi returned to his spot in the line-up after missing last Saturday night's scoreless draw in Toronto. Lilley was forced to restructure his midfield due to limited availability, and chose to push Grant Van de Casteele into central midfield from his traditional spot at center back. Mike Garzi slipped out wide to the left as captain Tony Walls played next to Van de Casteele and Jonny Mendoza played on the right. Forbes and dos Santos started up top for the Rhinos. The striking duo entered the match combining for goals in three out of the Rhinos last four matches in all competitions.

The first 15 minutes of the match played out like a classic cup tie with both sides cautiously calculating the best way to break down the opposition. Two players ended up in the referee's book in the early going as Harrisburg City Islanders central midfielder Jose Barril was cautioned in the eighth minute and dos Santos was shown a yellow card for Rochester in the 15th minute. Both sides recorded one shot, but neither effort was on target.

The visiting Rhinos had the first good opportunity of a tightly played first half in the 34th minute. Steevan dos Santos got in behind the City Islanders back four and was in on goal. However, Rochester's 6'4" target player put his effort at Harrisburg goalkeeper Kyle Renfro who was able to make the save.

The match's major talking point occurred in the 38th minute. Harrisburg's Skyline Stadium is not as notoriously wicked to the visiting Rhinos as Montreal's Claude Robillard Stadium once was at the height of the Rhinos power in the late 1990's, but Rochester has found themselves in a variety of interesting situations in Harrisburg since the series began in 2011. Wednesday night's Third Round U.S. Open Cup match was no different as Steevan dos Santos was shown his second yellow card of the match in the 38th minute. Despite the fact that Harrisburg finished the first half with 11 fouls to three for Rochester, the head referee determined that two of the three fouls warranted bookings to the same player. Dos Santos was sent off accordingly and the Rhinos were left to play out the remaining 82 minutes of match with only ten players.

Rochester responded with the last opportunity of the first half when the Rhinos drew a free kick just outside the City Islanders penalty area. Walls took the free kick for Rochester and narrowly missed getting the ball up over the wall and back down on target as his shot ended up just clearing the cross bar.

Rochester finished the half with a five to one advantage in shots, but the home side only allowed the visiting Rhinos to get one of those shots on target.

The City Islanders celebrated half time at Skyline Stadium by dressing patrons up in sumo wrestling costumes and letting them take penalty kicks on the field. Many observers might have not been wrong in thinking that penalties may be the best possible outcome for the visiting Rhinos. However, Rochester's USL Hall of Fame head coach Bob Lilley and his side were writing a very different script in the visitors locker room at Skyline Stadium.

The City Islanders used their man advantage to create the first opportunity of the second half from a set piece in the 56th minute. Barril took the free kick for Harrisburg. In a carbon copy of Walls first half effort for Rochester, Barril got the ball up and over the wall, but could not get it back down on target.

The head referee wrote down the names of three more City Islanders players in his book in the second half. Harrisburg right back Erick Cruz received a caution in the 57th minute. City Islanders center back Ken Tribbett was shown a yellow card in the 68th minute, and Harrisburg left back Danny DiPrima became the fourth player for the home side to be booked in the 75th minute. However, the City Islanders maintained their man advantage throughout the second half.

Lilley made his first substitution of the match in the 70th minute when he introduced his leading goal scorer in USL play, rookie Christian Volesky for Mendoza. A tactical change resulted as Forbes moved from his position as the lone striker in Rochester's ten man formation when he took up Mendoza's position at right midfield, and Volesky became the Rhinos lone option up top. Lilley made his second change of the match in the 88th minute as he introduced the fresh legs of rookie Asani Samuels at left midfield for Garzi.

Harrisburg had a chance to win the match in the 90th minute. Barril took another dangerous free kick for the City Islanders. This time he was able to get his effort over the wall and on goal, but Miller was there for the Rhinos to make the diving save to keep the match scoreless.

After the full 90 minutes of regulation and stoppage time was played out, the match entered two mandatory 15 minute periods of added extra time.

Rhinos center back Julian Ringhof became the seventh booking of the match in the 98th minute as visiting Rochester had three yellow cards to four for the host City Islanders.

Harrisburg City Islanders had the only chance of the first period of added extra time at the conclusion of the 15 minute period, but Miller was equal to the task for Rochester. However, the City Islanders late effort foreshadowed the events of the beginning of the second period of added extra time.

After 105 minutes of scoreless soccer that threatened to boil over at times, the match ignited in a very different way in the 106th minute. Eric Bird, an attacking player Philadelphia Union loaned their USL affiliate Harrisburg City Islanders just for their Third Round cup tie with Rochester, hit a shot on target that was saved by Rhinos goalkeeper Miller. Second half substitute Brett Jankouskas was first to the rebound and scored to open the scoring for the home side.

It took the visiting Rhinos one minute to respond. Rochester's late second half substitute Samuels won a fifty-fifty ball in the City Islanders box and headed it to Forbes. Forbes received the ball, kept his composure, and slotted his finish past Renfro to level the score at one in the 107th minute.

The Rochester Rhinos scored the match winning goal in the 115th minute. The visitors played a corner kick into the City Islanders penalty area, and the home side was unable to get the ball away. Samuels was the first player to the loose ball in the box, and the rookie was able to calmly finish past Renfro to give Rochester their first lead of the cup tie at 2:1.

Samuels was booked one minute later for Rochester, and Rhinos captain Tony Walls joined him in the 119th minute for the fourth and fifth yellow cards of the evening issued to the visitors.

Samuels closed out the scoring in the 120th minute. The Jamaican was first to the ball after Renfro made a save by parrying away the visitor's initial shot on goal, and slotted the ball into the empty net for his second goal of the evening.

The Rochester Rhinos have advanced to the Fourth Round of the U.S. Open Cup where they will travel to PPL Park to play Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer on Tuesday, June 16th 2015 at 7PM.

The Rhinos return to Rochester on Saturday, May 30th 2015 in Sahlen's Stadium at 7:05PM against Montreal FC. Single game tickets to the match 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.

Rochester Rhinos season tickets, flex packages, and group sales tickets are also 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.

• Discuss this story on the United Soccer League Championship message board...

United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 27, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central