The Cleveland City Stars defeated the rival Rochester Rhinos in a thrilling 3-0 upset on Saturday. Captain Godfrey Tenoff, Julian Valentin, and Joshua Boateng all scored goals to secure the victory for Cleveland. The City Stars will take on Rochester on the road on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup. In This Issue City Stars Secure 3-0 Upset Over the Rochester Rhinos City Stars Secure 3-0 Upset Over the Rochester Rhinos In a rematch of the home opener, the City Stars turned the tables on Rochester and defeated the Rhinos 3-0. Captain Godfrey Tenoff led the team with the game-winning shot, while defender Julian Valentin and forward Joshua Boateng also contributed goals. The first half saw the City Stars looking much improved from the first match against Rochester, as the team moved the ball well and created numerous good chances. Starting off strong, City Stars forwards Joshua Boateng and Leo Gibson combined in the 3rd minute for a heart-stopping chance on goal, which was narrowly saved by Rhinos keeper Scott Vallow. Although Gibson was injured in the attack on goal, he bounced back and the Stars continued to pressure the Rhinos defense. The Rhinos finally retaliated in the 14th minute, when a 30 yard shot from Mike Ambersley forced City Stars keeper Hunter Gilstrap to make a diving save. Gilstrap was put into action again just five minutes later, when he deflected a shot from Rhinos forward Mauricio Salles. The City Stars offense remained as strong as the defense, and Joshua Boateng and midfielder Warren Kanu both had several extremely close chances. Unable to score however, the half ended at 0-0. The City Stars entered the second half with the same eager energy as in the first, and it paid off almost immediately. In the 52nd minute Ryan Stewart's cross from the corner found Godfrey Tenoff at the back post, who took a beautiful diving header to bring the City Stars ahead 1-0. "A lot of the players in the locker room are hungry, a lot of these players are determined" said captain Godfrey Tenoff. "We've had a lot of obstacles, and this victory is a way of turning around the season, and we can jump on it and ride it through the year, or we can sit back and say that's enough. We need to jump on it." Inspired by his success just three minutes later, Pato Aguilera chipped a ball forward to Julian Valentin who headed the ball past goalkeeper Scott Vallow to bring the Stars ahead by two. "We've been dangerous in set plays and our guys have been working hard in getting to the right spot" said Aguilera. "Luckily for me, my teammates have started to understand where I want them on those set plays. I think we have a lot of potential to score a lot of goals and tonight we were able to do that." Rhinos forward Tai Atieno tried his best to rectify the deficit, and put City Stars keeper Gilstrap through his paces with several well-placed shots. In the 62nd minute, Atieno rocketed a ball towards the City Stars goal, but Gilstrap made an easy save. After two more shots from Atieno and two more close saves, the City Stars pulled themselves together and went back on the offensive. Tired of playing defense, the City Stars pushed up towards the Rhinos box, and Boateng didn't waste any time. Winding up from outside the box, he whipped the ball into the back of the net before Vallow could even move, bringing the end result to a 3-0 Cleveland victory. The City Stars will take on Rochester once again on Tuesday in round two of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The game will be in Rochester, with kickoff at 7 p.m. The City Stars return home on Thursday, June 18th to take on the Miami FC Blues. Thursday will also be "Sunny Thursday," with slip-and-slides, games, and all general admission tickets priced at only $5! Lineups: Cleveland: GK Hunter Gilstrap, D Anthony Stovall, D Ibrahim Kante (D Paul Ballard 87'), D Stephane Guillaume, M Ryan Stewart (M Steve Gillespie 83'), D Godfrey Tenoff, M Warren Kanu (M Alioune Guiye 73'), M Pato Aguilera (M Gordon Kljestan 77'), D Julian Valentin, F Leo Gibson (F Ricardo Pierre-Louie 53'), F Joshua Boateng Rochester: GK Scott Vallow, D John Ball, D Darren Kenton, D Nano Short, D Kwame Sarkodie, M Ze Roberto, M Andrew Gregor, M Andrew Lorei, M Mike Ambersley, F Mauricio, F Tai Atieno Attendance: 1,512
Figures. First game of the season I miss... And now the Stars are going to play 4 matches in 8 days? Isn't that a little... obscene? I'm just hoping that level of exhaustion doesn't lead to injuries. ------RM