Saturday, May 18, 2013
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Orlando City defeated the Rochester Rhinos 1-0 at Sahlen's Stadium on Saturday night, with Lions midfielder Eric Ustruck scoring the game-winning goal in the 85th minute from an assist by Kevin Molino. City goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo made two saves to keep his second clean sheet of the season. Orlando won the match despite playing the final 52 minutes a man down after midfielder Jean Alexandre was sent off in the 38th minute when he received his second yellow card of the match.
In the 20th minute Orlando City created the first chance of the match when right back Bryan Burke played an early ball into the Rhinos box, the assistant referee's flag staying down as Dennis Chin burst in on goal, but Rhinos goalkeeper Kristian Nicht made a breakaway save at Chin's feet to deflect the ball away for a corner.
Orlando's defensive midfielder Jean Alexandre was sent off by head referee Chris Penso for his second bookable offense in the 38th minute. Alexandre was booked in the 25th minute for a tackle from behind on Rhinos forward Tam McManus. He received his second yellow card for pulling back Rhinos left midfielder Ross LaBauex by the arm in the 38th minute. The ejection left Orlando to play a man down for the final 52 minutes of the match.
The Rhinos nearly capitalized on the man advantage at the end of the first half. After Coach Jesse Myers instructed LaBauex and Mike Reidy to switch flanks, LaBauex served a ball into the Orlando penalty area from the right flank that found Reidy on the far post. Reidy sent the ball across the Lions goalmouth, but Bilal Duckett had his header batted away by Orlando goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo. Gallardo's clearance only went as far as Tyler Rosenlund at the penalty spot, but his effort was cleared off the Lions goal line by Yann Songo'o.
The Rhinos had the first chance of the second half in the 60th minute. Rochester's Danny Earls made an overlapping run and received a through-ball on the left flank. Earls took the ball to the end line before he played it back to McManus on the penalty spot. McManus put his shot on goal, but it was straight at Gallardo.
In the 75th minute Orlando City began to generate pressure on the Rhinos with their first of three scoring chances in the last 15 minutes. The build-up started when substitute Dom Dwyer received the ball in the Rhinos box with his back to goal. Dwyer took a touch and quickly played the ball out wide to Luke Boden in the advanced flank. Boden served the ball into the near post, but Nicht was able to punch the ball away, only for his clearance to come to Christian Duke at the top of the Rhinos penalty area. However, the midfielder's effort went wide of the Rhinos goal and the match remained scoreless.
Three minutes later Orlando nearly finished a corner kick. Nicht tried to catch the Lions inswinging service at the near post, but he dropped the ball when he collided with some traffic in his goal mouth. Songo'o was the first player to get to the loose ball. He put a shot on the Rhinos empty goal, but Rochester defender Georgios Kyriazis cleared the ball off the goal line. Duckett momentarily shielded Kyriazis' clearance until Nicht could dive on the loose ball.
In the 82nd minute the Rhinos generated their last chance of the match when Reidy cut inside from the left flank on his favored right foot, and he found 2012 Rhinos MVP JC Banks at the top of the Orlando City box. Banks took a touch and drifted right just before he took a shot that missed the left post of Orlando City's goal.
Three minutes later, Orlando would find the game-winning goal. Molino served the ball in from the left flank with his right foot, and his cross floated over the heads of Rhinos center backs Troy Roberts and Kyriazis, but it found the head of a leaping Ustruck, who had surged into the Rhinos box from his position in midfield. Ustruck's header left Nicht with no chance as it ended up in the upper right corner of the Rhinos goal.
Orlando City's 1-0 victory in Rochester leaves them at the top of the table with 23 points – seven points clear of the second place Harrisburg City Islanders. The defeat leaves Rochester in 12th place with four points.
The Rochester Rhinos next home match is Tuesday night at 7:35 p.m. at Sahlen's Stadium against the GPS Portland Phoenix in the second round of the 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Individual tickets are currently available, and they can be purchased by calling (585)454-KICK (5425), by visiting the MVP Health Care Box Office at Sahlen's Stadium, or by visiting ticketmaster.com. Individual tickets, group tickets and flex packages for the 2013 USL PRO season are also on sale now.