March 16, 2024

TOWSON, Md. - The Rochester Lancers closed out the road portion of their schedule in winning style as they recorded a 14-7 triumph over Baltimore Arsenal in a Major Arena Soccer League game at SECU Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The victory left the Lancers with a perfect 10-0-0 record and 30 points and gave them a clear understanding of what they need to do to clinch the top seed in next month's M2 playoffs in Wichita, Kansas.

The Iowa Demon Hawks (12-0-0) finished their season with a plus 104 goal differential after their 20-2 regular-season finale win over the Iowa Raptors on Friday. Rochester (plus 86 goal differential) plus needs to win both of its remaining matches against United Elite Krajisnik FC next week while outscoring its foes by 18 goals to tie its Midwest foes, and 19 to secure the top seed.

Taner Bay (one assist), Aidan Miller (one assist) and Joe Balls each tallied two goals apiece for the Lancers on Saturday.

The team's backline pitched in with the attack, as Jake Schlinder (two assists), Darren Toby (two assists), Alex Harling (one assist) Konrad Zydowicz each scored a goal. Isaac Bourne Daniel Reger, August Finn and Davinson Diaz added one goal apiece.

Villy Fortulus and Kofi Forkuoh paced Baltimore (2-7) with braces.

Despite not playing with team-leading goal-scorer Ali Alomari (26 goals), who did not travel with the squad, the Lancers broke double figures for the 10th time this season, although they allowed their most goals in a contest.

Rochester dominated the opening quarter from start to finish, grabbing a 3-0 advantage, outshooting the hosts, 10-4.

Joe Balls started the scoring at 1:53, as he knocked home a feed from the left flank past goalkeeper Chase Broughman. Schindler doubled the margin at 3:22 as he intercepted a poor clearance by Broughman as the ball blooped back into the net. Toby closed out the scoring on a free kick that was initiated by Schindler, who passed to Bay on the left side. Bay fired a shot that Toby deflected into the net for a power-play goal and 3-0 lead.

Baltimore woke up in the second period, cutting the Lancers' lead to 8-4 at halftime.

The second quarter saw nine goals scored as the hosts' attack woke up. Only 41 seconds into the period, Forkuoh struck for Baltimore to slice the lead to 3-1. Harling, however, pulled one back, off a power-play goal, thanks to a Schindler assist at 2:52. Arsenal then cut the margin to 4-2 on Evlin Alvardo's score from the middle of the penalty area at 4:40.

Then it was the Lancers' turn to score as Zydowicz, off a Toby feed, boosted it back into a three-goal advantage at 5:54. Baltimore wouldn't go away as Joe Sefoi tallied into lower right-hand corner at 9:22. Bay put in a Toby corner kick feed for a 6-3 lead for the visiting side at 11:29. Arsenal took advantage of a bad Rochester pass off the boards as Matt Martinez scored off a counterattack at 12:46.

The Lancers bounced back to finish the period with two goals within 57 seconds. First, Miller scored an unassisted goal from the left side at 13:01 before an unmarked Balls, fired home another Schindler assist 1t 13:58 for that 8-4 advantage.

In contrast to the high-scoring second period, only four goals were scored in the third quarter, two by each team.

Bourne started it off, depositing a Miller feed from point-blank range at 4:15. Baltimore, however, came right back at 8:02 on a fine individual effort by Fortulus, who scored from the right side. Reger wrote his name on the scoresheet at 8:15, but Forkuoh recorded a goal off a counterattack less than a minute later at 9:93 as Rochester took a 10-6 lead into the final period.

Diaz set up the visitors' first two goals of the fourth quarter, which were sandwiched around an Arsenal tally. Diaz assisted on Miller's goal, which he banged home off the left post at 2:04. After Fortulus' unassisted effort at 2:20, Bay buried a long feed by Diaz from the right point at 3:10.

Sefoi was brought on as the sixth attacker for the remaining 6:30, but Baltimore could not find the net. However, the Lancers did. First, Diaz scored off a Harling assist at 12:51 and Finn added an open net goal at 14:17.

Lancers goalkeeper Jakeb Mitchell made 12 saves.

The Lancers will host Krajisnik FC on Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23 at the Total Sports Experience in East Rochester, N.Y. Each game kicks off at 7:45 p.m.