February 25, 2024
EAST ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The Rochester Lancers took another step toward qualifying for the Major Arena Soccer League 2 playoffs on Saturday night, as they remained unbeaten in seven games behind a 15-5 triumph over Baltimore Arsenal at the Total Sports Experience.
The Lancers (7-0-0, 21 points), who need to win two of their final five games to clinch a postseason spot, stayed atop the East Division while Baltimore fell to 2-4.
Ali Alomari paced Rochester with four goals and an assist, while Davinson Diaz contributed a hat-trick and an assist. Matt D'Amico and Ryan Curtis also recorded braces, and Eduardo Figueroa and Dan Reger, August Finn and Taner Bay contributed one goal apiece as the Lancers reached double figures in goals in each of their seven games this season. They also exceeded their highest goal total of the season, that they had accumulated a 14-6 season-opening win in Baltimore on Jan. 13.
While the final score might not necessarily reflect it, Rochester goalkeeper Jakeb Mitchell made several key saves to help keep Baltimore at arm's length.
The hosts played without two of their most experienced and accomplished players as head coach-defender Jake Schindler sat out his first match of the season, and forward Joey Tavernese was sidelined with an injury.
Rochester, which rolled to a 12-3 win over Baltimore on Friday night, did not miss a beat.
The Lancers took advantage of a tired Baltimore team and an inexperienced goalkeeper, Callum Christe, who made his M2 debut, to secure a 5-2 first-quarter advantage. The visitors were forced to add Christe after No. 1 goalie Alejandro Sosa suffered a dislocated finger in Friday night's contest. Sosa competed as a field player.
Exactly 100 seconds after the opening kickoff, D'Amico started the rout with a goal from the right side off an Isaac Bourne assist. Davinson Diaz doubled the lead at 3:05, knocking home an Alex Harling feed. Alomari made it 3-0 only 58 seconds later, as he beat Christe to the near post on the left side.
Curtis got on the scoresheet at 5:26, as he put home a Darren Toby pass on the right side during a Rochester power play after the visitors were penalized for having too many men on the field. An unmarked D'Amico tallied his second goal of the quarter as he slotted home Joe Balls' assist at 6:45.
Arsenal found its footing later in the period as Alhagi Jobe scored from the right side at 12:47 before Erik Lorent beat the Rochester defense before circling Mitchell to move within three goals with 13 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Almost duplicating the first period, the Lancers tallied the opening four goals in the second, en route to a 9-3 halftime lead.
Diaz started things off with the first of three consecutive unassisted scores at 7:40. Figueroa found the net only 19 seconds later as he picked Christie's pocket on the right side as the ball rolled into the net for a 7-2 margin. Alomari stole the ball from a defender before rifling home a shot from just outside the penalty area at 8:41 before Reger struck for his first goal of the season, heading in Konrad Zydowicz's feed from close range at 12:09.
Baltimore's Brayde Wise scored from the left side off a Sosa pass at 12:50, snapping the Lancers' four-goal streak.
The Lancers, however, outscored Arsenal, 3-0 in the third period as Diaz and Alomari secured their hat-tricks. Diaz found the net at 2:08, Curtis scored a power-play goal at 7:56, and Alomari buried the ball from close range at 13:20 to take a 12-4 lead into the fourth quarter.
Rookie goalkeeper Andrew Taylor made his second M2 appearance in as many nights at the start of the final period, replacing Mitchell in the net. Baltimore scored two successive goals as Wise found the range from the right side 34 seconds in, before Brandon Bianchi powered a shot from distance at 4:16.
Those goals seemingly woke up the Lancers as Finn put in an Alomari feed from the left side at 5:23 and Bay scored in a scramble in the box at 7:12. Alomari put the finishing touches on the game, drilling home a power-play goal with 25 seconds remaining.
After this weekend, the Lancers will take a two-week break before the team rounds out the campaign with three consecutive weekends in March.
Rochester will welcome Atletico Orlando to the TSE a second time on Friday, March 8 and Saturday, March 9. The team will visit Baltimore Arsenal for its final road contest on Saturday, March 16. The Lancers return home to close out the regular season against United Elite on Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23.