USOC: Rhinos Eliminated in PKs
- Updated: June 17, 2015
The Rochester Rhinos lost for their first match in any competition in 2015 as they fell to the Philadelphia Union in penalty kicks in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday night.
The Rhinos put up a valiant effort against an MLS side, playing to a 0-0 draw after regulation and extra time, but came away short-handed losing 3-1 in penalty kicks.
Former Rhinos goalkeeper John McCarthy, who won the USL Goalkeeper of the Year with Rochester last season, was the star for the Union as he kept a clean sheet during regulation and extra time and held the Rhinos to one successful penalty kick, making three straight saves to end the shootout.
The Rhinos did, however, come close to pulling off an upset when they beat McCarthy in stoppage time at the end of regulation, but Union fullback Ray Gaddis cleared the ball away off the line to maintain the scoreless draw.
The current Rhinos keeper, Brandon Miller, also impressed on Tuesday making a number of key saves throughout the match in the losing effort. However, the Union converted three of their four penalty kick chances to move on to the next round in the tournament.
Both Revolution loanees, Tyler Rudy and Timi Mulgrew, were not listed in the starting lineup and were not available on the bench for the match. They have not appeared with the Rhinos in any U.S. Open Cup match and are expected to be on the Revolution’s U.S. Open Cup roster.
The Rhinos will next be in action with USL league play, as they travel to Pennsylvania to face the Harrisburg City Islanders. The Rhinos also hope to maintain their status as the only remaining unbeaten team left in the USL, as they sport an 8-0-4 record with 28 points, which leads the USL Eastern Conference.
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