USL Week 15: Rhinos Make History with Victory

June 29, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release

TAMPA, Fla. - In their 20th season, the Rochester Rhinos have created a rich history. On Saturday, the current squad made a new entry into the club's record book, as it earned a 1-0 win against Pittsburgh to extend its undefeated streak to 14 games, a club record. While the Rhinos went five points clear in the USL's Eastern Conference, however, the Western Conference remained jumbled, as wins and losses led to another new look at the top of the standings.

FEATURED GAMES

Rochester Rhinos 1, Pittsburgh Riverhounds 0

In torrential rain, the Rhinos celebrated their Hall of Fame night with a win as a 78th-minute penalty kick by Tony Walls proved the difference at Sahlen's Stadium. The Rhinos had the better of the early going, but Pittsburgh fought back late in the first half as Kevin Kerr forced Rhinos goalkeeper Brandon Miller into a finger-tip save in the 42nd minute. Miller also made good saves on Michael Green and Kerr in the second half to earn his sixth shutout of the season, and when Alex Dixon was ruled to have been pushed over from behind by Pittsburgh defender Anthony Arena with just over 10 minutes to go, Banks made no mistake from the spot as the Rhinos claimed all three points.

Louisville City FC 6, OKC Energy FC 2

Matt Fondy had a hat trick and Magnus Rasmussen recorded two goals and two assists as Louisville broke out of its scoreless streak in impressive fashion against Energy FC at Slugger Field. OKC took an early lead through Christian Dalgaard, but Louisville took a halftime lead as Rasmussen and Fondy both struck for the hosts. OKC pulled level early in the second half as Danni König scored his league-leading 10th goal of the season, but Fondy pulled within a goal of him in the race for the USL Golden Boot with a pair of second-half finishes, including what proved to be the game-winner. Rasmussen and Kadeem Dacres also added goals in City's biggest offensive output of the season.

LA Galaxy II 4, Tulsa Roughnecks FC 2

Bradford Jamieson IV marked his return to action with a pair of goals as Los Dos claimed their ninth win in their past 11 outings with victory against the Roughnecks at ONEOK Field. The Galaxy II took the lead early as Raul Mendiola scored his fourth goal of the season, but Tulsa leveled the game 10 minutes later when Iarfhlaith Davoren scored on a deflected shot. U.S. U20s standout Jamieson struck twice in five minutes with a pair of excellent finished before the hour-mark, however, and while Tulsa pulled a goal back late as Gibson Bardsley converted from the penalty spot, Ariel Lassiter grabbed a late insurance goal for his team-leading seventh of the season to ensure the Galaxy II's victory.

New York Red Bulls II 4, Saint Louis FC 1

The New York Red Bulls II claimed a third consecutive road win as they solidified their place in the Eastern Conference's top six with victory against Saint Louis FC at World Wide Technology Park. New York grabbed the lead inside the opening 10 minutes through Marius Obekop and doubled its advantage 11 minutes into the second half through Konrad Plewa. Saint Louis pulled a goal back as Jermie Lynch scored his fourth goal of the season, but as the hosts pushed for an equalizer, the Red Bulls II struck effectively on the counter-attack as both Franklin Castellanos and Plewa scored in the final 10 minutes to put the game away.

QUOTABLE

"It's going to be a huge match and hopefully this gives us a little bit of momentum going into the match with Rochester. I think we've got the pace and the skill that will give them some issues." - Charleston Battery Coach Mike Anhaeuser looked ahead to Friday night's game with Rochester after his side claimed a 4-1 win against Harrisburg on Saturday

"I think it's a testament to our team moving the ball very well. It was just great to have a good week of training and really focus on playing our style and making the other team work with that." - Louisville City FC forward Matt Fondy, who recorded the first hat trick in the club's history against OKC Energy FC

"It feels good, we need him. He's a dynamic player, he can hold off the ball, he's good off the back of the defenders, he's just a guy you like to have on your team, we're glad we have him back." - Orange County Blues FC midfielder Christopher Santana on teammate Christofer Ramirez, who scored in his return to the side as the Blues took a 3-2 victory against Vancouver

"It's always nice to score late. We've not really managed to do that this season. It was nice to get a winner. It was a nice moment for us in front of the home fans." - Arizona United SC midfielder Scott Morrison after his stoppage-time goal earned a 2-1 win against Real Monarchs SLC

BY THE NUMBERS

47 - There were 47 goals scored in Week 15 of the USL season, the highest total of any match-week so far this season, as five teams scored four goals or more.

16 - The Pittsburgh Riverhounds' streak of consecutive games with a goal ended at 16 when they were shut out by Rochester on Saturday

7 - Seven different clubs have led the USL's Western Conference this season, in contrast to just two in the Eastern Conference

2 - Andy Craven became the second player to be signed to an MLS contract after starting the season in the USL when he joined Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday, joining Toronto FC's Clement Simonin

STANDINGS

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Team GP W L T GF GA Pts

Rochester Rhinos 14 9 0 5 18 5 32

Charleston Battery 15 7 2 6 26 17 27

Richmond Kickers 16 6 2 8 22 15 26

Louisville City FC 14 6 3 5 26 14 23

New York Red Bulls II 15 6 5 4 24 22 22

Pittsburgh Riverhounds 14 5 5 4 28 24 19

Harrisburg City Islanders 12 4 4 4 21 22 16

Charlotte Independence 12 4 4 4 14 15 16

Saint Louis FC 13 3 5 5 14 18 14

Toronto FC II 11 3 5 3 10 19 12

Wilmington Hammerheads FC 15 2 8 5 11 22 11

FC Montreal 13 1 10 2 8 21 5

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Team GP W L T GF GA Pts

Sacramento Republic FC 17 9 6 2 28 19 29

LA Galaxy II 15 9 5 1 24 16 28

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 14 9 5 0 31 16 27

Seattle Sounders FC 2 15 8 5 2 27 23 26

OKC Energy FC 14 7 4 3 23 21 24

Orange County Blues FC 13 6 6 1 19 20 19

Arizona United SC 13 6 6 1 16 24 19

Austin Aztex 15 5 7 3 16 19 18

Portland Timbers 2 14 5 7 2 19 23 17

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 16 4 8 4 19 29 16

Tulsa Roughnecks FC 15 4 8 3 18 27 15

Real Monarchs SLC 15 1 9 5 14 25 8

RESULTS

Wednesday, June 24

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 5, Orange County Blues FC 0

Thursday, June 25

Wilmington Hammerheads FC 2, FC Montreal 1

Sacramento Republic FC 3, Tulsa Roughnecks FC 1

Seattle Sounders FC 2 1, Real Monarchs SLC 0

Friday, June 26

Charlotte Independence 0, Richmond Kickers 0

Saturday, June 27

Rochester Rhinos 1, Pittsburgh Riverhounds 0

Charleston Battery 4, Harrisburg City Islanders 1

Louisville City FC 6, OKC Energy FC 2

Toronto FC II 1, Wilmington Hammerheads FC 0

LA Galaxy II 4, Tulsa Roughnecks FC 2

New York Red Bulls II 4, Saint Louis FC 1

Austin Aztex 0, Sacramento Republic FC 0

Orange County Blues FC 3, Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 2

Arizona United SC 2, Real Monarchs SLC 1

SCHEDULE

Monday, June 29

Portland Timbers 2 vs. Seattle Sounders FC 2, 10 p.m. ET

Wednesday, July 1

Wilmington Hammerheads FC vs. Saint Louis FC, 7 p.m. ET

Real Monarchs SLC vs. Sacramento Republic FC, 9 p.m. ET

Orange County Blues FC vs. OKC Energy FC, 10:30 p.m. ET

Thursday, July 2

Portland Timbers 2 vs. Arizona United SC, 10 p.m. ET

Friday, July 3

Charleston Battery vs. Rochester Rhinos, 7:30 p.m. ET

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. Austin Aztex, 10 p.m. ET

Saturday, July 4

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 vs. Seattle Sounders FC 2, 6 p.m. ET

Pittsburgh Riverhounds vs. New York Red Bulls II, 7 p.m. ET

Charlotte Independence vs. Saint Louis FC, 7 p.m. ET

Harrisburg City Islanders vs. Wilmington Hammerheads FC, 7 p.m. ET

Louisville City FC vs. Richmond Kickers, 7:30 p.m. ET

Sunday, July 5

LA Galaxy II vs. OKC Energy FC, 8 p.m. ET

Arizona United SC vs. Orange County Blues FC, 10:30 p.m. ET

HOW TO FOLLOW

Every game of the 2015 USL season can be seen live, free and in HD on YouTube (www.Youtube.com/USL), with updates from across the league also available via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Rochester Rhinos vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds

United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 29, 2015

• USL Week 15: Rhinos Make History with Victory - USL

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