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USL Rochester Rhinos

Rhinos Defeat Dayton 2-0, Travel to Play OKC Energy FC Sunday

June 21, 2014 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rochester Rhinos News Release


Rochester, NY - The Rochester Rhinos broke a four match winless streak in Sahlen's Stadium with a 2:0 victory over the Dayton Dutch Lions on Friday, June 20th 2014. Levi Houapeu scored the match winning goal off of an assist from Minh Vu in the 54th minute. The home side doubled their advantage from the penalty spot with a goal from JC Banks in the 61st minute. The victory moved Rochester into sole possession of fourth place in the USL PRO table - three points in front of fifth place Sacramento Republic FC who still had a match to play on Friday night.

The Rochester Rhinos opened the scoring in the 54th minute. Rochester center back Kyle Hoffer played attacking midfielder Minh Vu through down the right flank. Vu crossed the ball to striker Levi Houapeu at the top of the six yard box, and Houapeu powered a header over Dutch Lions goalkeeper Matt Williams and into the upper left corner of the net. The goal was Houapeu's second of the season, and the assist was Vu's second of the season.

JC Banks doubled the Rochester Rhinos advantage in the 61st minute. Dayton Dutch Lions center back Matt Wiet made contact with Banks in the Dutch Lions penalty area, and Banks fell to the Sahlen's Stadium turf. Head referee Juan Carlos Rivero did not hesitate to point to the penalty spot. Banks took the spot kick himself, and calmly finished it into the right side of the net after he sent Williams the wrong way. The goal was Banks fifth of the season moving him back into the top ten in USL PRO in points and goals scored.

New England Revs loanee Luis Soffner made two saves on five shots faced for his second clean sheet of the season, and the Rhinos seventh shutout in USL PRO play in 2014.

The Rhinos next home match is Saturday, June 28th 2014 at 7:05PM against the Charlotte Eagles. Tickets for any match on the Rhinos home schedule will be available by by calling (585)454-KICK (5425), by visiting the MVP Health Care Box Office at Sahlen's Stadium, or by visiting ticketmaster.com.

Rhinos Complete Weekend in OKC

Rochester will look to build on Friday night's win over Dayton

Sunday night's match can be seen live in its entirety via streaming video from 8PM in the east at https://www.youtube.com/user/okcenergyfc

Rochester, NY - The Rochester Rhinos will travel to Pribil Stadium for a USL PRO match with OKC Energy FC on Sunday, June 22nd at 8PM (EDT). The Rochester Rhinos are currently in fifth place in the USL PRO table with 23 points from their first 15 matches of the season. OKC Energy FC sits in the ninth spot in the table just two points behind the Charleston Battery for the eighth and final playoff spot. The match can bee seen live in its entirety via streaming video on YouTube Live.

Sunday night's match with OKC Energy FC will be the Rhinos second match of the weekend. On Friday night, June 20th, Rochester defeated the Dayton Dutch Lions 2:0 in Sahlen's Stadium. Levi Houapeu opened the scoring off of an assist from Minh Vu in the 54th minute, and then JC Banks doubled the home side's advantage from the penalty spot in the 61st minute. New England Revs loanee Luis Soffner made four saves on ten shots faced to earn his second clean sheet of the 2014 campaign. It was the Rhinos seventh shut out in league play and eighth in all competitions.

The Rochester Rhinos are in the middle of a stretch of matches that will see them play six times in a two week span - four of those matches will be in USL PRO play. Rochester defeated the LA Galaxy II 2:1 at the StubHub Center on Wednesday, June 11th before losing 1:0 to Arizona United SC on Saturday, June 14th. The Rhinos upset D.C. United of Major League Soccer in the Fourth Round of the 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in Sahlen's Stadium on Tuesday, June 17th earning Rochester a Fifth Round match with their MLS affiliate the New England Revs on Wednesday, June 25th. While four of their six matches have been away from Sahlen's Stadium, the Rhinos have excelled on the road this season. Rochester leads USL PRO in points earned away from home with 15.

"There's no question we are dealing with a lot of games right now." Rochester Rhinos coach Bob Lilley said. "We're trying to deal with and focus on each game as it comes. We do have a deep roster, and a lot of players have seen minutes this season and helped us get points. For us it is really the last busy stretch of the season, so we have to focus on getting as many points as possible right now even though the games are coming in very quick succession."

As the Rochester Rhinos climb up the USL PRO table, individual players are beginning to step forward as league leaders. JC Banks has five goals and two assists for 12 points. He is seventh in USL PRO in points, and he is sixth in the league in goals scored. Center back Kyle Hoffer has been ever present this season. He has started a league leading 15 matches, and he leads USL PRO with 1,338 minutes played. Rookie goalkeeper John McCarthy, who has largely split time with Soffner this season, is second in USL PRO with five clean sheets.

OKC Energy FC enters Sunday night's match in need of points in order to make a playoff push during the second half of their inaugural season. The Energy are 4-7-2 overall, but only 2-3-0 at home. Their two victories are notable results against New York Red Bulls Reserves and Sacramento Republic FC. OKC Energy FC is led by Kyle Greig who is 16th in USL PRO in scoring with four goals and one assist. Midfielder Christian Duke is eighth in the league with three assists. OKC Energy FC is coached by former Sporting KC's MLS Cup winning goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen, and the first year club has been buoyed by an affiliation with the Major League Soccer side.

2014 Rhinos Season Ticket Packages

Rochester Rhinos ticket packages for the 2014 season are on-sale and can be purchased by calling (585) 454-KICK (5425) or by clicking on the links located to the left. Get your ticket package today & SAVE MONEY!

Full season ticket packages start at $50.00 for all 8 remianing home games, Ticket voucher packs start at $60.00 and a family of four can attend every Rhinos home games for only $159.00. That's less than $5.00 per person/per game!

Contact David Cieslinski at (585) 454-3000 x111 or davec@rhinossoccer.com to purchase Season tickets, Corprorate ticket packages or Group nights!

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