Long Island Rough Riders drop to Wilmington 2-1

Published on June 12, 2004 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Long Island Rough Riders News Release


( Uniondale , N.Y. – June 11, 2004 ) The Long Island Rough Riders continued a pattern tonight, as they battled back only to come up short to the Wilmington Hammerheads 2-1. The Wilmington Hammerheads came out with high pressure which gave them early opportunities by Joe McNab and Glen Murray. Rough Rider Goalkeeper Dan Sirota and new signee defender Wilmer Cabrera spent much of the first 20 minutes of the match organizing the defense.

Long Island looked to move forward but had few counter attack opportunities early on. In the 27 th minute, forward Moussa Sy looked to have gotten behind the Hammerheads defense but got cut off before he could get off a shot. Long Island finally looked to get some more offensive control with a few great scoring opportunities in the 37 th minute. Midfielder Evan Bruno got off a quick shot that was saved by Wilmington keeper Billy Platz. Moments later, with Platz caught scambling out of the net, Bruno put a dangerous ball from the left side through the box, but no Rough Rider could get the final touch to put the ball in to the open net.

The Rough Rider opportunities seemed to re-awaken Wilmington . Pushing forward down the middle, Wilmington forward Warren Ukah received a ball about 25 yards out with his back to the goal. Turning to see Sirota off his line, Ukah immediately sent a soft lobbing shot over the top to chip the Rough Rider keeper for the opening goal. The Hammerheads kept up the offensive pressure and were again rewarded for their efforts. Earning a corner kick, Wilmington defender Tim Karalexis sent a ball to the back post, where forward Glen Murray buried a header for the Hammerheads second tally. Looking for redemption before the half, Long Island mustered one more chance, but shot off a corner kick was knocked around the post by a Wilmington defender.

Both clubs came out sharp for the second half. Long Island had a shot off a corner go over the bar and Sirota took the ball off Murray 's foot to break up a breakaway opportunity. Play in the second half opened up with both sides moving the ball. Bruno had two opportunities that were taken care of Platz, and Moussa Sy had a header go just wide. The Rough Riders finally got on the scoreboard in the 72 nd minute. Bruno sent a corner kick into the box. Defender Dahir Mohammed was able to knock it down for Derrick Etienne to drive it into the Wilmington net. The goal was Etienne's fifth of the season.

With renewed hope, the Rough Riders took more control of the play with Wilmington now sitting back on their heels. Midfielder Ricky Blanchard had a great opportunity go wide and Sy had another header saved by Platz. With almost five minutes of injury time added, the Rough Riders continued to pressure the Hammerheads, creating three late corner kick opportunities, but Wilimington was able to clear the ball each time.

After the game, Head Coach Ronan Wiseman commented "The result was disappointing, but in the second half, we showed the best performance of the season so far". He especially noted the play of newly signed international defender Wilmer Cabrera. "He showed a lot of composure and leadership, thing that we have lacked".

The next two Rough Riders matches will be on the road. On Friday June 18 th , the team will play the Harrisburg City Islanders. Two days later, they will go further west to take on the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The Long Island Rough Riders next home match is set for June 26 versus the New Hampshire Phantoms. Contact the Long Island Rough Riders office at 516-671-1585 or www.liroughriders.com for team and ticket information.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 12, 2004


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