February 2, 2024
EAST ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The Rochester Lancers remained undefeated in four games, rallying from an early two-goal deficit en route to a 12-4 victory over Atletico Orlando in their home opener in a Major Arena Soccer League 2 game at the Regional Health Total Sports Arena on Friday night.
Taner Bay, Davinson Diaz, Konrad Zydowicz and Tamas Nagy each bagged a brace to pace Rochester (4-0-0, 12 points), which extended its North Division lead to six points over idle United Elite Krajisnik FC (2-4-0, 6). Orlando (3) fell to 1-2-0, after the physical battle.
Goalkeeper Jakeb Mitchell also tallied his first indoor goal in the fourth quarter.
The Lancers have scored at least 11 goals in each of their four matches.
For the second successive game, the Lancers found themselves with a two-goal hole in the opening period. Rochester had the run of play, but Orlando struck twice within a 14-second span midway through the quarter to grab the lead.
Former Lancer and Rochester Rhino JP Reyes rifled a free kick from the right side past Mitchell to lift the visitors into the lead at 8:23. Orlando regained possession of the ball following the ensuing kickoff by Rochester and Hector Medina scored from an extremely tight angle on the left side into the upper 90 at 8:37.
The Lancers received a great opportunity to put a number on the scoreboard when Rodrigo Kauffman was assessed a two-minute penalty for fouling players-head coach Jake Schindler at 12:08. Orlando, however, survived the power play and walked out of the quarter with a 2-0 advantage.
Rochester, however, bounced back big time in the second period, connecting for four unanswered goals to take a 4-2 lead into the locker room at the half.
The hosts sliced the lead in half 2:25 into the second quarter on a scoring sequence that was started by a Schindler free kick at the top of the box. The Lancers coach passed toward Ali Alomari, who dummied the ball to Bay in the left corner. Bay then sent the ball up front to captain Alex Harling, who jammed it home past keeper Jorge Ortiz.
The Lancers ended the quarter on a high, striking for three goals over the final 2:49, including two within a 40-second span.
Nagy led a break on the right flank before passing to Zydowicz, who buried the ball past Ortiz at 12:11 for a 2-2 tie. Harling then set up Diaz, who fired a left-footed shot into the goal at 12:51 to boost Rochester into a 3-2 lead it never relinquished.
Bay allowed the Lancers to enter the locker room with a 4-2 margin, putting in a Frank Ciliberto feed with 15 seconds remaining in the second period.
Ricardo Atencio replaced Ortiz at the start of the second half and the Orlando keeper made several fine saves to keep Rochester off the scoreboard early on.
The Florida-based side crawled to within a goal at 1:16 into the third period as Kauffman played the ball off the wall to himself and eventually into the goal.
The Lancers then struck for three consecutive goals to close out the quarter en route to a 7-3 advantage.
Bay, off a Nagy assist, restored their two-goal edge at 6:53 with his second goal before Diaz tallied his second, thanks, to a left-footed shot from the left side, for a 6-3 margin at 8:00. Toby got the assist. Alomari drilled a shot in from the top of the box for a four-goal lead at 10:53, off a Zydowicz feed.
Rochester continued its domination in the final period. Bay set up Zydowicz at 4:02 before Nagy beat Atencio at the near left post, thanks to a Schindler pass from the top of the box. Nagy easily scored into an open net at 10:30 for his second goal of the match.
Mitchell threw the ball into an unattended goal for an 11-3 margin at 12:06. Ryan Curtis made it an even dozen with his fourth goal of the season at 1:20, Rochester’s eighth consecutive goal.
Reyes closed out the scoring with his second tally of the net with seven seconds left in the contest.
These two teams will meet again on Saturday night at 7:45 p.m.
Follow the Lancers at www.RochesterLancers.com.