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Long Island Rough Riders tie Westchester 1-1

April 25, 2004 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Long Island Rough Riders News Release


(Plainview, N.Y., April 24, 2004) With the last moments of regulation winding down, Rough Riders forward Moussa Sy headed home Colin Marshall's injury-time corner kick to secure a 1-1 tie with the Westchester Flames in the team's home opener. The Flames Evaud Thompson had scored the initial goal off an assist from Fredy Nava late in the first half.

In the opening match of the season for both Pro Select (PSL) clubs, the Rough Riders created quite a few scoring chances but couldn't get the last tough. Moussa Sy and Shaun Higgins both had a pair of scoring opportunities. Against play, Westchester won the ball deep in the Rough Riders defensive half to score on a turnover.

New Head Coach Ronan Wiseman was pleased with the team's result. "I'm very proud of the team and their performance throughout the game. It would have been easy to put our heads down after chasing the game the entire way. It showed a lot of character in the team."

The second half saw much of the same action, with both teams pushing forward. Rough Rider's keeper Tobias Fuchs came up with six saves, including the save of the game in the 58th minute, stopping a Thompson header. Steven Franzke led the Long Island defense while Rich Bradley also came up big for the Rough Riders in the back, clearing a ball off the line midway through the second half after Fuchs had been forced to come out of his net.

Mersim Berskovic led the Flames defense while Guillermo Valencia starred for the Flames in goal, stopping second half shots by Chris Giuffrida, Colin Marshall and Rich Bradley. In the 89th minute, Long Island thought they had the tying goal in hand when Shaun Higgins broke in one-on-one with the Flames keeper, only to be called for a controversial offside. With the Rough Riders pushing for the tie, Moussa Sy rose above his defender to drive home the goal in injury time.

Both clubs had chances to win in the golden-goal overtime periods. Westchester's Mario Gallo put a shot towards the top far corner of the Long Island goal only to have Fuchs tip it above the bar. Moussa Sy was sprung for a break in on goal but his attempt was wide. Derrick Etienne had the best chance for Long Island in the second overtime period. Both Fuchs and Valencia were pressed but neither team could put away the final goal.

General Manager Jim Kilmeade pointed out the other half of the franchise's story. "I'm very proud of the efforts of our entire organization – players, coaches and front office. The atmosphere at the game was tremendous. Over 2000 people came out to support the Rough Riders as we start our second decade. It was a great sign of things to come."

The Long Island Rough Riders continue their 2004 PSL season at home next Saturday (May 1, 2004) when they host the Western Mass Pioneers. The first four matches of the Rough Riders schedule also count towards qualifying for the 2004 U.S. Open Cup. All home matches are played at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale, N.Y. For team or ticket information please contact our office at (516)671-1585.

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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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