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Riders lose third straight

June 23, 2005 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Long Island Rough Riders News Release


Uniondale, NY- The Long Island Rough Riders continued their downward spiral Wednesday, earning their third consecutive loss against the Western Mass Pioneers, 2-1.

The Rough Riders came into the match knowing they would still be without their attacking midfielder and captain Wilmer Cabrera. Long Island seemed to match up well with the speedy Pioneers early on, but it became more evident as the game progressed that the absence of Cabrera was overwhelming. Western Mass dominated the middle of the field and a significant amount of 50-50 balls. The best scoring chance of the first half for the Rough Riders came on a bicycle kick by Moussa Sy off a pass from Derrick Etienne in the fourth minute. Western Mass' presence up front was most evident by the size and strength of forward Neil Krause, who constantly outmuscled the Riders' defenders. It was indeed Krause who opened the scoring for the Pioneers in the 25th minute. Off a pass from Omar McFarlane, who dribbled around Rough Riders defender Josh Allen, Krause took the cross and placed it over the outstretched arms of keeper Paul Grafer.

It became clear that the match would be a physical battle early on, with the first of four yellow cards given out in the 25th minute to Western Mass' Kyle Fletcher for a dangerous tackle. Two more cautions were handed out, in the 36th minute to James Hunt and in the 27th minute to Gary Sullivan. The Pioneers continued to dominate play throughout the half, stepping up to take control of several potential scoring opportunities for the Rough Riders. Going into the half, Long Island seemed to be on the defensive against the dominating Western Mass offensive pressure.

The second half started right where the first left off. The Pioneers continued to manhandle the Rough Riders midfield, using their constant presence in the middle third of the field to distribute passes into the corners for crosses deep into the box. The Pioneers added to their lead in the 66th minute when Rigels Qosa took a pass from Jason Willis and placed it soundly under a diving Grafer. With the team frustrated not only by their lack of an offensive presence but by what they deemed to be questionable calls made by the head referee, the Rough Riders quite literally put their fate on the head of Sullivan. In the 78th minute, Sullivan took a cross from the left flank by Paul Caffrey and deposited it in the upper 90 of the Pioneers goal to cut the Western Mass lead in half. But alas, it was not meant to be, with last minute chances by Sy and Etienne falling, both literally and figuratively, just short of a draw.

The Rough Riders look to rebound on Saturday, June 25th against the Northern Virginia Royals in a double header with the Lady Riders at Stony Brook University. For more information, visit our web site at www.liroughriders.com or call 516-622-3900.

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