Long Island Rough Riders News Release - www.liroughriders.com
Thursday, June 20, 2012
PLAINVIEW, N.Y. - The Long Island Rough Riders face an important three-game road trip starting tonight when they travel to Washington, D.C. and Virginia to take on the Washington Spirit Reserves, Virginia Beach Piranhas and the Fredericksburg Impact. The trip will be crucial for the Rough Riders as they look to maintain their position in the W-League’s Northeastern Conference.
The Rough Riders kick off against the Washington Spirit Reserves at 7 p.m. tonight, and Washington (4-1-0) is currently tied with Long Island for second place in the conference with 12 points. The Spirit Reserves are a strong attacking force, having recording 20 goals while only conceding two in six games this season. Ten different players have scored for the Spirit Reserves, with forward Ashley Herndon and midfielder Katie Yensen each contributing three goals.
After a short break on Friday the Rough Riders will return to action Saturday against the conference leaders, the Virginia Beach Piranhas (4-1-1). The Piranhas are new to the Northeastern Conference but have made their mark. Forward Shan Jones is a scoring sensation, tallying five goals in five games played thus far. Forward Esther Anyanwu is a well-balanced player, tallying three goals and three assists to bring the Piranhas to the top spot. The Piranhas have a technically proficient midfield which will make for a great matchup against Rough Riders midfielders Kim DeCesare, Amanda Epstein and Luana Miessa, who have led their side to an impressive start. The game will be played at Virginia Beach Sportsplex at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The Rough Riders will wrap up the trip Sunday against the Fredericksburg Impact (0-4-2), less than 24 hours after the Virginia Beach game. In this year’s season opener the Rough Riders were able to run away with a 3-1 win against Fredericksburg thanks to goals by Amanda Ferranti, Amanda Epstein and Lulu Echeverry. The Impact are currently in seventh place with two points in the Northeastern Conference.
The Rough Riders will return to Cy Donnelly Stadium on Saturday, June 29 to host the second encounter with the Washington Spirit Reserves. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.