Aztex Seek First 3-0 Start On Sunday

April 23, 2010 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Austin Aztex News Release


AUSTIN, Texas (www.austinaztex.com) - After jumping off to a quick 2-0 start with a victory at home against the defending champion Montreal Impact and on the road at AC St. Louis, Austin is looking to begin its 2010 campaign 3-0 for the first time in its history at 6 p.m. on Sunday at House Park.

A season ago, the Rhinos swept the Aztex in their season series, 3-0 -- the last of which came with marked improvement for the Aztex in a hard-fought 1-0 loss at Marina Auto Stadium in Rochester.

This season the Aztex have gotten four goals from four different players. Adding to the team tally were Lawrence Olum and Jamie Watson at home against Montreal and Leonard Griffin and Eddie Johnson at AC St. Louis. The Aztex also had an assist on three of the four strikes as Leonard Griffin and Lance Watson helped the scoring efforts in the first game and Jamie Watson in the second.

On the other hand, Rochester has kicked off the season 0-1-1. The Rhinos tied Miami FC in Miami in the first week and lost a heartbreaker to Portland on a penalty kick in the 85th minute last weekend.

Rochester has been busy updating its roster in the past week, with the addition of four new players to its squad. After signing T.J. Gore and Max Ferdinand, the Rhinos wasted no time with two more signees, Aaron Pitchkolan and Ian Bennett.

The 6 p.m. (CT) match can be seen live on the Austin Aztex website: www.austinaztex.com, or on the Rochester Rhinos' website: http://www.rhinossoccer.tv/. Fans can also catch it on the radio on AM 1300 The Zone with Ahmad Brooks and Kent Koen on the call.

Minnesota is the common thread for both teams as they both head north after this match to take on the NSC Minnesota Stars in their next league match. Rochester's date comes up first and is on Wednesday, while the Aztex get a week break before their May 1 kickoff. The match is the first of two on the road for Austin before it comes back home to take on Crystal Palace Baltimore.

However on Wednesday, Austin has a special friendly lined up with Haiti for its earthquake relief. The game is at 7:30 p.m. at House Park and free to all fans, but any and all donations will go directly to help the team with its efforts back home.

Game Notes:

Aztex vs. Rochester

Austin has yet to defeat Rochester, coming up with an 0-3 record in 2009. Rochester outscored the Aztex by a total of 7 goals to 1.

Lions of April

Austin is still unbeaten in the month of April in its franchise history. Last season, the Aztex finished the month 1-0-2, beating Cleveland 3-0 and drawing with both Minnesota and Vancouver. In 2010, the Aztex are now 2-0 after beating Montreal 2-0 and AC St. Louis 2-1.

Around the Corner

Austin has racked up 13 corner kicks this season compared to only two for its opponents. The Aztex had six last game and held AC St. Louis without a corner for the entire 90 minutes.

Covering the Globe

With the recent signings of Stephan Campbell and Ronald Caicedo, Austin now has players on its roster from: Brazil (Sullivan Silva), Colombia (Ronald Caicedo), Cuba (Yordany Alvarez), England (Eddie Johnson), Jamaica (Kieron Bernard), Kenya (Lawrence Olum), Mexico (Miguel Gallardo), Trinidad and Tobago (Yohance Marshall and Stephan Campbell) and the United States. In addition to those eight countries, Jay Needham spent time last season playing in Norway.

Aztex for Three

An assist by Jamie Watson and a goal by Leonard Griffin against AC St. Louis gave the pair three points each on the season. Watson put a goal home in the season opener, while Griffin had the assist on the strike.

What's Next?

Austin's next league match is at 7 p.m. on May 1 at NSC Minnesota. The Aztex and Minnesota were extremely competitive last year with matches ending in draws of 1-1 and 2-2 and the only decision going the Thunder's way at 1-0. However, Minnesota's franchise this year has changed to the NSC Minnesota Stars.



USL First Division Stories from April 23, 2010


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