The Long Island Rough Riders battled back from a 1-0 deficit at half time to make up for the away loss in New York last Saturday.
All proceeds of individual ticket sales and limites edition t-shirt sales were donated to the American Red Cross to help the victims affected by the recent tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma.
The Rough Riders started the first half strong as they dominated possession and created many opportunities in their attacking half. Central defender Sue Weber burst into the attack early in the game. Weber carried the ball down the wide left flank to connect with forwards crashing into the box. Long Island’s defender Kerry O’Connor also got in the attacking mix as she made a number of deep runs cutting into the inside.
At seven minutes, midfielder Holly Dawson received the ball on the wide right and played a through ball to forward Grace Hawkins who shot low and hard but the Magic keeper Charlotte McCormack came up with a save. Rough Riders midfielder Kim DeCesare tested the Magic’s defense early when she collected a long ball after making a deep run on the left flank. Throughout the game DeCesare battled and was involved in almost every offensive play.
At ten minutes, it was Weber again who collected a service off a punt from the 50 yard line, put her first touch forward, beat several players down the line and whipped the ball into the mix, finding DeCesare on the back post. DeCesare connected but the shot went wide right deflecting off the Magic’s defender. A few minutes later, Rough Riders forward Luisa Echeverry used her technical speed to beat a defender and slid the ball across the net but DeCesare finished just wide left.
Despite the dominate possession from the Rough Riders, it was New York who posted the first goal at the 34 minute mark when Sade Ayinde passed a low ball into forward Brittany Pfaff who quickly turned and shot a stunning ball in the upper right corner past Rough Riders goalie Diana Poulin. This gave New York the 1-0 lead going into the second half.
Both teams had equal opportunities early in the second half. Searching for the equalizer, Long Island continued to pressure the Magic’s back line. At 56 minutes, defender Amanda Epstein took a strong shot that deflected off the Magic goalies hand which lead onto the foot of Kim DeCesare. DeCesare took a touch and placed the ball in the lower left corner to tie the game at one.
Unsatisfied with one, the Rough Riders were awarded a penalty kick after Magic defender Candice Clark pushed from behind DeCesare at 60 minutes. DeCesare herself stepped up the penalty line and calmly positioned the ball in the right corner giving the Rough Riders the 2-1 lead.
At 73 minutes, the home team looked to get another goal as Grace Hawkins connected with the goalie after a hard run down the field. The Magic had several opportunities but the Rough Riders’ defense did not let the Magic score again. Goalkeeper Diana Poulin played spectacularly in net and kept the opposing team from breaking through. The Magic had a dangerous corner kick for the last play of the game but Poulin moved swiftly to catch the ball ending the game in a 2-1 victory for the Rough Riders.
