(HARRISON) – New York Red Bulls II came into Sunday afternoon’s game against the Rochester Rhinos riding a three-game unbeaten streak. The game would be the first big challenge of the season for the young Bulls, as the eventual champion Rhinos had eliminated them from the playoffs last year. While the Red Bulls team that took the field Sunday was nearly void of any players who were involved in said playoffs, the urgency to earn a home result against Rochester was palpable nonetheless. New York would also be without some key pieces with Anatole Abang, Alex Muyl, Tyler Adams, and Sean Davis were all with the first team during their recent road trip.
USL Recap: NYRBII Earn Hard Fought Draw With Rochester
The first half was well-contested for both sides. Long periods of possession for NYRBII fell short of creating chances. On the other side of the ball, the backline of Noah Powder, Tim Schmoll, Aaron Long, and Konrad Plewa did very well to shut down the Rhinos. Rochester’s best chance in the first came from Steevan Dos Santos. His point blank shot was saved by substitute goalkeeper Rafael Diaz. Diaz had entered the game after starter Ryan Meara left with a groin injury just 12 minutes into the game. The Red Bulls had a great chance to take the lead in the 39th. Brandon Allen got loose down the left wing. Allen’s cross found a streaking Stefano Bonomo. Bonomo’s first time shot was off the inside of the post.
Diaz would be called on a few more times as the game wore on, showing a calm demeanor and fast reflexes to keep the game level.
“I think it was a good performance, the team did well in front of me so I just needed a couple touches to get myself into the game and the rest was a lot of organization and making sure the guys in front of me were in a good position,” Diaz said after the game.
The keepers modesty in answering the question neglected a huge save he made in the 84th minute as Kenardo Forbes was in alone on goal. The stop preserved a third straight shutout and have now gone 315 minutes without surrendering a goal.
“Again, it’s a credit to us that we had the better of the game and had the better of the chances, but you know there’s still that little bit left for us to learn and figure out how to win tight games like that, where only one or two actions in a game make a difference,” John Wolyniec stated in his post game press conference. “You know, we were close to giving away one there a couple of times but definitely proud to keep another shutout – credit to our guys – but who’s going to make a play, that’s the question. A couple of guys were close, but it didn’t quite happen.”
The game was marred with one ugly incident just minutes before the final whistle. Steevan Dos Santos had a minor altercation with defender Mason Deeds that led to a scuffle, which saw the forward raise his hands and potentially make contact to Schmoll and Cheikh M’Baye. The scuffle earned Dos Santos a red card, and an earful from Bob Lilley. Wolyniec offered his opinion of the incident as well.
“I don’t know exactly what happened,” he said. “Sometimes you can’t tell how much force was thrown into the things and whether real contact was made but I saw two moments where arms and hands were raised and there’s just no place for that. The referee did a good job.”
The Red Bulls will head down to Wilmington this week to take on the Hammerheads who are coming off of a 2-0 win on the road against FC Montreal. The Red Bulls will look to keep their undefeated streak going and earn some valuable road points. For now though, they can hold their heads high with a strong performance against one of the USL’s best teams.
Photo by Bill Twomey Photography
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