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Rochester Rhinos

Rochester Tops NY Red Bulls II 2:0 in Semifinal

October 3, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rochester Rhinos News Release


ROCHESTER, NY - The Rochester Rhinos defeated the New York Red Bulls II 2:0 in a USL Eastern Conference Semifinal in Sahlen's Stadium on Saturday, October 3rd 2015. Professional soccer in the month of October returned to Rochester for the first time in the USL era as Steevan Humberto Fortes dos Santos scored a second half brace, and Brandon Miller recorded two saves to keep the clean sheet for host Rochester. Red Bulls II were reduced to ten men when center back Konrad Plewa received a red card in the 22nd minute. The victory sends Rochester through to the USL Eastern Conference Final in Sahlen's Stadium on Saturday, October 10th 2015 against the winner of the Louisville City FC and Charleston Battery semifinal match.

Rochester Rhinos head coach Bob Lilley put his first choice eleven back together again for the first time in a month after the Rhinos clinched the Regular Season Championship with a scoreless draw in Richmond against the Kickers on September 5th. Left back Onua Thomas Obasi and dos Santos returned to the starting line-up after recovering from minor injuries while midfielder Michael Garzi returned after sitting out Rochester's regular season finale with a red card suspension.

New York Red Bulls II fielded a strong side with five starters on loan from their first team as goalkeeper Santi Castano, defender Shawn McLaws, midfielder Leo Stolz, and forwards Manolo Sanchez and Marius Obekop anchored the visitors starting eleven.

A tense atmosphere hung over the first fifteen minutes of the match in Sahlen's Stadium as the harsh reality of the ultimate finality of the one-off fixture impacted both teams. New York Red Bulls II played an unusually aggressive style of play with some longer balls in their possession and high pressure from their forwards. The visitors best chance of the opening fifteen minutes came when Obekop hit a whip-ping on the Rhinos goal from thirty yards out on the angle that Rochester goalkeeper Brandon Miller was forced to use his footwork to get to before ultimately catching it right on his goal line.

The Rhinos two best chances of the opening fifteen minutes came off of set pieces. Jamaican midfielder Kenardo Forbes picked out captain Tony Walls in the Red Bulls II penalty area for a free header off of a corner kick in the fourth minute, but Walls was not able to get his powerful header to the goal in a crowded penalty area. In the fifteenth minute Forbes was pulled down on the right flank, and served the free kick into the penalty area from 40 yards out. This time Forbes picked out dos Santos, who was able to settle the ball with his chest before drilling a volley off of the chest of New York goalkeeper Castano. Walls was first to the rebound, but just missed the far post with a shot under heavy pressure.

Red Bulls II were issued a stern warning from the Rhinos in the 17th minute. Dos Santos was the catalyst for the Rhinos attacking movement as the striker stormed into the New York half of the field on a counter attack. Dos Santos drifted out wide to the left before playing onrushing midfielder Jonny Mendoza into the left half of the Red Bulls II penalty area. Mendoza hit a shot from a decreasing angle that was well saved by Castano.

The first major talking point of the match came in the 22nd minute. The sequence began when Rhinos center back Grant Van de Casteele cleared a ball from the Rhinos penalty area all the way up the field into the center circle. In the center circle Alex Dixon picked up the loose ball and flicked it on into the Red Bulls II attacking half of the pitch. Dos Santos ran onto the ball, and this time he was able to run past Red Bulls II center back Konrad Plewa. Dos Santos was clear in on goal when Plewa tried to make a tackle on the Rhinos striker from behind. Head referee Greg Dopka observed the play, and decided that Plewa had committed a foul that had interrupted a goal scoring chance as the last defender resulting in his dismissal from the match. As a result Rochester was left with a man advantage for the last 68 minutes of the match.

The frantic pace of the match dropped off after Plewa was sent off as both teams tried to use possession to gain control of what was a very fluid opening to the USL Eastern Conference Semifinal. Rochester ended the first half with a six to three advantage in shots, and a four to two advantage in corner kicks over the visiting Red Bulls II. The best chance of the last twenty minutes of the first half fell to the Rhinos in the 32nd minute when Walls header flashed off of the post before being snagged by a grateful Castano.

Rochester and New York Red Bulls II entered half time in a scoreless draw.

Neither side made any changes at the half as New York Red Bulls II made no adjustments to being down a man. The visitors remained in an attacking oriented 1-4-2-3 formation with just Stolz and Jamaican Devon Williams in the midfield.

The Rochester Rhinos started the second half with attacking intentions of their own and opened the scoring in the 48th minute. Dos Santos found himself with the ball on the left flank with time and space - a combination that has proven deadly to Rochester's opponents this season. Dos Santos dribbled at the exposed New York left back McLaws. The first team loanee deftly absorbed a dos Santos double step-over, but could not prevent the Cape Verde native from cutting the ball back at the top left corner of the Red Bulls II penalty area. Dos Santos shot from the edge of the penalty area was an audacious curling effort that beat a fully extended Santi Castano before finding the right side panel of the goal. It was the first goal of the playoffs for dos Santos.

The Rhinos doubled their advantage in the 69th minute. Forbes started the move by playing a through ball to Alex Dixon in the New York penalty area. Dixon was in on goal for a split second, but was chased down by Red Bulls II right back Colin Heffron. Heffron slide to block Dixon's attempted shot, but Dixon was first to the rebound. The second year Rhinos attacking midfielder picked up his head and found Forbes making a run at the top of the box. Forbes received Dixon's pass, and drove a ball into the back post that dos Santos deflected past Castano and into the back of the net from six yards out. The goal was the second of the match and second of the playoffs for dos Santos.

Dos Santos had one more moment of magic in him in an effort to score a playoff hat trick. Dos Santos charged past the Red Bulls II back four once again and ran out of his left shoe 25 yards out from the visitors goal. Dos Santos continued to dribble into the box with one shoe on and one shoe off before crashing his shot off of the bottom of the left post from 16 yards out.

The Rhinos team defense dominated the USL Regular Season in allowing a record setting 15 goals conceded in 28 league matches. They picked up right were they left off in the playoffs by allowing the Red Bulls II two shots in the second half and neither shot found the target. The visitors only two chances of the second half were a Devon Williams header off of a corner kick that was right at Miller in the 75th minute, and a free kick over the cross bar from 35 yards out in the 75th minute.

After the semifinal victory on Saturday night the Rochester Rhinos will be playing in their second conference final of the USL era. In 2011, the Rhinos hosted Harrisburg City Islanders in Sahlen's Stadium and were eliminated 2:1 in a match that they held a man advantage in for the entire second half. Harrisburg went on to lose the USL Championship to Orlando City in penalty kicks.

Rochester hosts the 2015 USL Eastern Conference Final on October 10th 2015 at 7:05PM in Sahlen's Stadium against the winner of the Louisville City FC and Charleston Battery semifinal.

Rochester Rhinos playoff tickets and group sales 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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