May 23, 2021
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Guyana international defender Sydney Cummings scored in the 84th minute to lift New Jersey Copa FC to a 1-0 win over the Rochester Lady Lancers in United Women's Soccer action on Charles A. Schiano Sr. Field at Aquinas Institute on Sunday afternoon.
The result gave Rochester a 0-2-0 mark in the East Division while Copa FC played in their opening match of the campaign.
The visitors enjoyed a sizable possession advantage, but the Lady Lancers held off Copa FC until the waning minutes. After a ball was cleared out of the penalty area, second-half substitute Melanie Cunha sent it back into the box to Cummings. From point-blank range, Cummings headed the ball past goalkeeper Saundra Baron.
The Lady Lancers showed an improvement over their season-opening 2-1 defeat to FC Buffalo last Sunday, but could not find the net from the run of play.
Baron, the UWS goalkeeper of the week, was outstanding again as she credited with 15 saves for the second consecutive game. Her best stops came in the second half. The Trinidad & Tobago international parried away Camille Bowen's 23-yard free kick in the 50th minute and produced a pair of kick saves in the 57th and 66th minutes.
Rochester's best scoring opportunity came in the 64th minute. After a fine feed by forward Claire Myers, Dori Rizzo had her shot palmed away by goalkeeper Andrea Leitner. She finished with five saves.
In a controversial decision, the referee awarded Copa FC a corner kick in the 57th minute although Baron clearly wasn't anywhere near the end line when she smothered the ball. Baron argued about the bewildering call, but to no avail. Fortunately for the Lady Lancers' and game officials’ sake, nothing came of the ensuing spot kick, although Baron still wasn't very happy after the play.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Lancers men played FC Buffalo in a National Premier Soccer League game at 5 p.m. Sunday.
The Lady Lancers hit the road for their next three games. They play at the Albany Rush on Saturday, May 29 before travelling to Connecticut for back-to-back matches the first weekend of June. Rochester meets the Connecticut Fusion on Saturday June 5 and faces the Connecticut Rush on Sunday, June 6.
The team returns home to welcome the Lancaster Inferno on Sunday, June 13 at 2 p.m. in the first game of a doubleheader. The Lancers men's squad will meet the Pittsburgh Hotspurs in the second game at 5 p.m.
Because COVID-19 protocols are in a constant flux due to New York State regulations, visit www.RochesterLancers.com or check out the team on Twitter at @Lancers to see how many people are allowed to attend future games.