March 23, 2024
EAST ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The Rochester Lancers finished their regular season on a winning and perfect note, recording a 9-1 victory over United Elite Krajisnik FC in a Major Arena Soccer League 2 match at the Total Sports Experience on Saturday night.
The East Division finished the season with a 12-0-0 mark, registering a perfect regular season record for the first time in club history, dating back to the club's inception in 1967. That includes stints in the American Soccer League, North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, MASL, National Premier Soccer League and United Women's Soccer.
Rochester fell short in its quest to become the top seed in next month's M2 playoffs in Wichita, Kansas. The hosts needed to score 15 goals to surpass the Iowa Demon Hawks in goal differential. They finished with a plus 98 to Iowa's plus 104. The Lancers will be the second seed in the tournament.
Player-head coach Jake Schindler led the Lancers with two goals and two assists. Taner Bay also bagged a brace. Darren Toby, Rodrigo Almeida, Isaac Bourne, Konrad Zydowicz and Ali Alomari added goals against a depleted United Elite (3-9) side due to injuries.
The Lancers outshot the visitors, 60-20. United Elite goalkeeper Julian Rodrigues was credited with 23 saves, the Lancers' Jakeb Mitchell with 10.
Rochester dominated the first quarter from start to finish as Toby, Bay, Almeida and Schindler scored.
After Alomari was fouled, Toby got the hosts on the scoreboard at 2:58, when he converted a Frank Ciliberto pass past goalkeeper Julian Rodriques on a scoring sequence that was started on a free kick by Schindler. Bay doubled the advantage at 5:51 as he ripped a shot from the left side off a Schindler feed.
Rodrigo Almeida scored his first goal as Lancer, connecting from a difficult angle on the left side to the far-right post off a Bourne assist at 10:21. Schindler connected with a second remaining in the period, drilling in a Ciliberto pass from the right point for a 4-0 margin.
In the second quarter, a Schindler steal resulted in Rochester's fifth goal as the player coach fed Bourne at 11:58.
The Lancers lost their shutout bid when goalkeeper Jakeb Mitchell fouled a United Elite player in the area for a penalty kick. Mitchell, who was awarded a blue card, had to serve the penalty if Elizandaro Vieira failed to convert his PK attempt. He didn't as he fired his shot to the right of goalie Alastair Farmer, who came in cold off the bench, at 5:53.
Rochester restored its five-goal margin at 7:01 when Schindler put away Eduardo Figueora's feed from the left flank. Zydowicz made it 7-1 off an August Finn assist at 10:53 before Bay reached 20 goals with a power-play goal, an unassisted tally, with 49 seconds remaining in the third period for an 8-1 lead.
Alomari buried his 28th goal of the campaign, scoring after a nifty step-over move on the right side at 6:42of the fourth quarter, for the hosts’ ninth goal of the match. Toby recorded the assist.
The Lancers will take next weekend off before heading to Wichita for the M2 playoffs, scheduled for April 5-7.