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Long Island Rough Riders Fall To Pioneers 3-1

May 2, 2004 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Long Island Rough Riders News Release


(Plainview, NY – May 1, 2004) The Long Island Rough Riders came out to face high pressure from the visiting Western Mass Pioneers. Although the Rough Riders got an early header on goal by Defender Dahir Mohammed, they could muster few chances over the next 30 minutes. The Pioneers, on the other hand, got behind the Long Island defense early, forcing goalkeeper Tobias Fuchs to come out on Everson Maciel, taking him down in the box. The resulting successful penalty kick put Western Mass up 1-0 inside the 6th minute.

The Pioneers continued to push forward and struck again quickly. The Pioneer's Kyle Fletcher fed Jeff Deren, who curled a shot into the right side upper ninety around Fuchs to make the score 0-2. The Rough Riders countered with a quick attempt by Moussa Sy, which was covered by Pioneers keeper Rick Koczak.

Both teams seemed to settle into their games, but play continued to be physical. A Pioneer offensive build-up led to their third, but controversial goal. With the Pioneers coming down the left side of the penalty area, defender Scott Leber stepped forward to challenge only to get whistled for a penalty in the box. The next whistles came from the stands as the fans let the officials know they did not agree with the call. Former Rough Rider Fausto Klinger stepped up and successfully put the penalty kick in the right corner for a 3-0 lead by the 30th minute.

The Rough Riders did not turn away from the challenge and continued to look for opportunities. After a shot by forward Shaun Higgins, Long Island had another chance from the corner. Serving the ball into the penalty area, it was bounced out to Higgins who found Evan Bruno wide open on the left side. Bruno struck a one-time, full volley to the far corner to bring the Rough Riders back to 1-3. The rest of the first half saw more physical play, with both Fletcher (Western Mass) and Sy (Long Island) seeing yellow cards.

Head Coach Ronan Wiseman was disappointed in the first half. "We came out flat and disorganized. Their three goals can be traced directly back to our defensive mistakes. Our second half was better, but it was too big a hill to climb. They capitalized on their chances and we did not."

The second half saw more of the same intense play from both sides, but no more scoring. The Rough Riders could not break down the Pioneers defense, who kept numbers behind the ball with their lead. Evan Bruno had a free kick opportunity that was blocked by the Pioneers' defensive wall and Moussa Sy had his shot saved by Koczak. Shaun Higgins had a few more well placed crosses into the box, but the Rough Riders could not get the final touch on goal.

While not happy with the game result, GM Jim Kilmeade acknowledged the support of the Rough Riders fans. "We were not on tonight. The team came out flat. Although Evan scored a great goal, it was not enough. We are a young team that will get better. Our fans were great and supported us the full ninety minutes."

The Rough Riders now go on the road for their next two Pro Select League games. They go to New Hampshire to face the Phantoms on May 8, then on to play the Westchester Flames May 15. Long Island returns home on May 22 to play the New Jersey Stallions. All home matches are played at the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale, NY. Contact the Long Island Rough Riders office at 516-671-1585 or www.liroughriders.com for team and ticket information.



United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 2, 2004


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.

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