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USL Rochester Rhinos

Rhinos Visit Dayton on Friday April 11th

April 10, 2014 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rochester Rhinos News Release


ROCHESTER, NY - The Rochester Rhinos travel to Dayton on Friday, April 11th 2014 to play the Dutch Lions in Beavercreek Stadium at 7PM. The match can be seen live in its entirety via streaming video on Dayton's YouTube Live channel Dutch Lions Gateway. For the second consecutive week the Rochester Rhinos will host a viewing party at the Rochester Tap Room.

The Rhinos will be playing their second match of the season, and are looking for their first points of 2014 after losing 1:3 in their season opener at defending champion Orlando City last Saturday night. 2012 USL PRO MVP Kevin Molino opened the scoring for Orlando City in the 3rd minute off of an assist from Tyler Turner.

Three-time First Team All-USL PRO selection Rob Valentino made it 2:0 in the 35th minute when he finished a corner kick. However, Rhinos head coach Bob Lilley rallied his young side at half time, and fourth year midfielder JC Banks cut the lead to 1:2 with an unassisted goal in the 58th minute. The Rhinos and Orlando City played end-to-end soccer for the next 15 minutes, until substitute Dennis Chin secured all three points for the home side with a goal in the 75th minute off of an assist from Molino. Despite the loss, Lilley felt that last week's set back will give the Rhinos a foundation to build on.

"I thought we played a solid first game of the season." Lilley said. "For sure, there are some things that we hope to improve on this week, but I thought we showed some qualities last weekend. We showed that we have the ability to create chances, and our fitness level continues to improve week after week. In game two we want to show an improvement over last week. A solid performance in Dayton should give us at least an opportunity to win."

The Rhinos have a 4-2-2 all-time record against the Dutch Lions, but the series has tilted Dayton's way recently. The Dutch Lions are 1-2-2 against the Rhinos in the last five matches the two clubs have played, and Dayton defeated the Rhinos 3:1 in both of their fixtures last season. The Dutch Lions used the six points they took from the Rhinos to finish eighth in the table and qualify for the playoffs for the first time in club history. JC Banks scored one of the two Rochester goals against Dayton last season, and the Rhinos 2012 MVP has four career goals against the Dutch Lions.

"Beavercreek Stadium creates its own difficulties because the field is so narrow, and Dayton really uses those dimensions to their advantage. They are typically organized and tough to break down, and they play their system very well. If you don't match their intensity, they can always cause problems - especially on their field." Lilley said.

Rochester Rhinos midfielder Tyler Rosenlund will appear in his 100th match with the club on Friday night in Dayton. Rosenlund became the 15th player in club history to play at least five seasons in Rochester last weekend in Orlando, and he is set to become the 16th player in club history to play 100 matches or more on Friday.

Rosenlund needs to play nine more matches, make 10 more starts, and play 1,098 minutes to join the all-time top ten list for the regular season in club history in each category. He already ranks in the top ten in club history in US. Open Cup starts (tied for tenth), points (tied for 5 th ), and assists (tied for 7 th). Rosenlund has won two regular season titles with the Rochester Rhinos - the 2010 US Soccer Division II Supporters Shield and the 2011 USL PRO National Division Championship.

"Rosey was very good for my two years in 2010 and 2011, and he has played a lot of games and a lot of minutes over the past two seasons. He has been a real solid contributor here in Rochester. Now that he's a little bit older he has taken a leadership role with the club, and he is the captain in 2014. He's a team guy, always working for the team, so it's nice to see what he's been able to do.

Rochester Rhinos forward Steven Pinau did not travel to Dayton with the team. He had to return to France immediately after learning about a family illness earlier this week. Pinau is not expected to be able to return to the team during the 2014 season.

The Rochester Tap Room is located in Corn Hill Landing at 284 Exchange Boulevard.

The Rochester Rhinos 19th home opener will be Sunday, April 27 th 2014 at 4PM in Sahlen's Stadium against the Charleston Battery.

Tickets for the home opener and all home matches are available at www.ticketmaster.com, by calling (585)454-KICK (5425) or at MVP Health Care Box Office at Sahlen's Stadium. Rochester Rhinos season tickets, flex packages and group ticket sales are also on-sale.

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