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USL Rochester Rhinos

Rochester Hosts Wilmington Saturday Night

August 14, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rochester Rhinos News Release


ROCHESTER, NY - The top of the table Rochester Rhinos host Wilmington Hammerheads FC in Sahlen's Stadium on Saturday, August 15th at 7:05PM.

The Rhinos opened the 2015 USL regular season on a 19 match unbeaten streak that propelled them into first place in the Eastern Conference, but things have gotten tight at the top of the table since Rochester's first loss of the season on August 1st. Second place Louisville City FC have pulled to within three points. When Rochester left the field on Sunday, August 9th they held a six point lead, but City's ominous 5:1 victory in Harrisburg on Wednesday night resolved the game in hand they held on the Rhinos and cut that lead in half. As full time is whistled in Sahlen's Stadium on Saturday night, Louisville City FC will be just getting underway with their 8:30PM (EDT) kickoff against Tulsa Roughnecks FC. Any dropped points against Wilmington in Sahlen's Stadium will give City the chance to draw even closer, or perhaps level, with the Rhinos.

"This week we have found a renewed sense of urgency that will be important for us to maintain for the rest of this season." Rochester's Hall of Fame Coach Bob Lilley said. "We had that sense of urgency when we were chasing the streak for the first 20 games of the season. We responded to the loss in Charlotte with a draw at home against Richmond. We're in first place, and we want to stay in first place. It's time to close it (the regular season) out, and to start to do that we need three points at home against Wilmington on Saturday night."

On the surface all appears right with Rochester as the team boasts a 12 - 1 - 8 record including an unbeaten home record of 7 - 0 - 2. The Rhinos attack is middle of the pack in the 24 team USL with 26 goals scored, and 225 shots. Rochester is a top ten team in corner kicks where they rank seventh with 96 set pieces in their first 21 games. However, the Rhinos have only taken five points from a 1 - 1 - 2 record in their last four matches, and both home draws have come in that four match stretch.

"I think if you look at the last four games, or more accurately the last two games in July and our loss in Charlotte, the number of chances that we created started to slip." Lilley said. "We didn't get more than ten shots in the draw with Charlotte, our win over Charleston, or the loss in Charlotte. Last Sunday we only took a point, but the chances were there again. We took 14 shots and had five more chances from corner kicks. We revived our attacking game against a Richmond team that can be very difficult to create chances against."

The Hammerheads find themselves at the bottom of USL Eastern Conference as they enter Saturday night's match in Rochester. Wilmington has 15 points in 21 matches from a 3 - 12 - 6 record, but two of their three victories have come away from the tight confines of Legion Stadium. The Hammerheads are tied for 13th in the 24 team USL with 32 goals conceded, but are 23rd in goals scored with only 16 so far this season. Nick Zimmerman and Brian Ackley are joint leading scorers with three goals each.

Wilmington will be playing the top ranked defense in USL on Saturday night as the Rhinos have conceded only 11 goals in their first 21 matches of the season - a mark that is eight goals better than second place Charleston who has only conceded 19 goals. Rochester also leads USL in clean sheets with 13 this season. Goalkeeper Brandon Miller continues to pace USL statistically with a 9 - 1 - 6 record as a starter, a league leading 0.52 goals-against average, and a USL high 10 shutouts.

While Wilmington may appear to be the perfect opponent at the perfect time of the season for Rochester, Rhinos head coach Bob Lilley is not taking the points for granted. Especially not after the two teams played to a 1:1 draw back on May 16th in Wilmington. In that match Rhinos striker Steevan Humberto Fortes dos Santos appeared to have scored the winner when he finished a 90th minute assist from Kenardo Forbes, but Ashani Fairclough found a stoppage time equalizer to salvage a point for the Hammerheads.

"I think it's a bit of a fallacy in thinking that Wilmington doesn't have attacking talent because of their place in the table. Look at their roster - Ackley, Sunny Jane, Corben Bone, (Cody) Arnoux, Ashani Fairclough - that's a lot of firepower, a lot of attacking talent. They've had some issues with injuries and form, but at their best they can be as good an opponent as anyone in this league. Last time we played them we dropped two points in stoppage time - that's all we need to remember about playing Wilmington."

The Rhinos next match is in Rochester against Wilmington Hammerheads on Saturday, August 15th 2015 at 7:05PM in Sahlen's Stadium. Single game tickets to the match are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling (585)454-KICK (5425), online via Ticketmaster, or by visiting the MVP Health Care Box Office at Sahlen's Stadium during business hours.

Rochester Rhinos season tickets, flex packages, and group sales tickets are also currently on sale and can be purchased by calling (585)454-KICK (5425), online via Ticketmaster, or by visiting the MVP Health Care Box Office at Sahlen's Stadium during business hours.



United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 14, 2015


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