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Aztex sluggish in 4-1 loss to Rochester

July 5, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Austin Aztex News Release


ROCHESTER, New York - When Eddie Johnson's penalty kick landed quietly in the clutches of Rochester Rhinos goalkeeper Tim Melia's arms in the 56th minute, the scoreboard may have shown more than 30 minutes remaining, for all intents and purposes the game was effectively over.

Already trailing 1-0 early in the second half, when Johnson's attempt failed, you could sense the wind come out of the sails of an Aztex team that has struggled on the road all season. The Aztex defense, which has given up a league-worst 27 goals (tied with Cleveland) all year and looked a step slower throughout the match, then proceeded to allow three goals in a span of 20 minutes. It all added up to a 4-1 defeat, and the third time this season the Aztex defense has surrendered four goals in a game.

Following a first half in which Rochester (7-5-2, 23 points) was clearly the more offensive-minded team and had more chances on goal, Austin (3-7-6, 15 points) did just enough defensively to keep the Rhinos out of goal and head into the break with a scoreless draw.

Then the second half happened.

Less than a minute in and Rochester had its first scoring opportunity when the ball was sent in front of the Aztex goal and keeper Sam Reynolds. Reynolds was unable to get his hands on the ball and Austin finally managed to clear it out of the area before any damage was done. A minute later, the Austin defense was again back on its heels as Rochester's Johnny Menyongar sent in a ball to Warren Ukah, who had made a run behind the Aztex defensive line. Reynolds got a late break off his line and the ball went past Reynolds and just to the left of the post. That first minute-plus of action was quite an inauspicious start to the half for the visitors and a sign of things to come.

The Rhinos finally got on the board in the 51st minute on a goal that won't make any highlight reels for its quality, but counts just the same. After a service in from the left wing, the ball sailed beyond the goal to the awaiting Menyongar, who tried to quickly sneak it by an Aztex defender and Reynolds into the goal. The shot didn't go in but it somehow managed to squirt between both Austin players and bounce off the crossbar before it landed in front of the goal. Menyongar hustled his way through multiple Aztex defenders to get to the ball and then promptly sent it into the back of the net to give Rochester the 1-0 lead.

Following Johnson's missed penalty kick, the emotional letdown of not tying up the game coupled with the effects of the road became quite evident. For Rochester, it meant more than enough space for the home side offensive unit to work.

A goal in the 59th minute served as the perfect example when a Rochester cross sent in from Danny Earls deflected off Aztex defender David Sias, then managed to bounce near the goal line up and over a leaping Aztex defender where it landed at the feet of Rochester's Ukah, who settled the ball, then from a tough angle, blasted it past Reynolds into the side netting at the far post for a 2-0 lead.

The Rhinos were just getting started.

Rochester's Tiger Fitzpatrick and Nano Short teamed up again in the 66th minute and Ryan Heins outmuscled an Aztex defender in the 72nd minute to give the Rhinos their final goal of the game.

Despite not capitalizing on the penalty kick, Johnson worked hard in the second half and had more than his fair share of shots on goal. Finally, in the 84th minute the English forward was able to get through a couple of Rochester defenders and get a shot past Melia for Austin's lone score of the contest, Johnson's fourth goal of the season.

Austin returns to Nelson Field this week for a home game on Saturday, July 11 for the first meeting of the season against the Portland Timbers. Kickoff is set for 7:30pm (CT). It's Hispanic Heritage Night and Family Four-Pack Night. Fans who come to Nelson Field get four tacos, four drinks and four tickets for just $40.

To order your tickets, call 335-8881.



USL First Division Stories from July 5, 2009


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