Rochester is in need of a victory to get back into the playoff chase.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Rhino’s head down to Louisville this weekend for a rematch of the Eastern Conference Championship. With Louisville City FC winning the team’s first meeting of the season, the Rhinos will be looking for redemption in Saturday’s match.
The Rhinos face Louisville City FC at Louisville Slugger Field on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. In the team’s first meeting of the season Louisville walked away with a 1-0 victory over the defending champs.
Louisville City FC currently is battling with the New York Red Bulls II to remain in first place of the Eastern Conference. New York is only two points behind, and City has played two more games than the Red Bulls. During their midweek match up on Wednesday, Louisville fought to a 1-1 draw with the Harrisburg City Islanders where City struggled in the first half to look like the first place team they have been throughout the season.
A few weeks ago the Rhinos were battling for a spot in the top four with playoffs closing in, however after three straight draws on the road the team has dropped to sixth place. A win on the road against Louisville potentially could put the Rhinos back in the position of being a contender for the top four. The team sits at 9-5-8 on the season.
The match will be broadcast live on the USL Match Center.
The Rhinos are coming off a strong 2-0 win against Wilmington Hammerheads FC where forwards Christian Volesky and Steevan Dos Santos found their rhythm together and traded goals and assists each. The match showcased a promise of a stronger more unified offense to come in the last few weeks of the season.
Follow the game on Twitter using #LOUvROC
On Wednesday, Louisville struggled to look like themselves in the first half. Facing the defending champions on Saturday that is something the home team can’t afford again. With Voelsky and Dos Santos leading the offense, and a strong defense from Rochester, this weekend’s match up is sure to be exciting for fans of competitive soccer.
Leading goal scorers:
ROC– Volesky (7), Farrell (5), Dos Santos (5), Forbes (3)
LOU– Hoffman (15), Davis IV (5), Abend (4), Lubahn (3)