by Gary Tim
Brooklyn, NY (May, 13, 2008) -- The Long Island Rough Riders rode into town high on their two game, four point joint Division leading stats, and got a jolting dismount from the Brooklyn Knights who pulled them back to earth by 3 goals to 1 in a bruising battle on Tuesday, May 13th. The two Eastern Conference - Northeast Division powerhouses locked sabers on a dry, but cool night at the Avaitor Field in the eagerly anticipated rivalry.
Again, it was a tough, physical action between the in-state medieval rivals who share important tenets in each other’s history. With the win, Brooklyn dethrones
Long Island as Division leaders, arming themselves with the maximum six points in two games. The Riders drop to a loss, a win and a tie. The game also counts as a Lamar Hunt US Open Cup qualifier, with the homesters snatching full points, here again.
Tuesday’s win had Knights’ coach Joe Balsamo singing praises for the way his charges took the Riders out of the saddle. “We did everything the way I wanted with use of space and control on the field. The team was compact and perfect. I am very happy with the result. They deserve it. I have wonderful players. I’m very happy for them.”
Riding on the back of another valiant show from captain Jeff Mateo, the Knights used home pitch familiarity to dismantle the feared Rough Riders attack which had six goals in their previous home and away games. Smarting from his gallantry in a 1-0 home win five days before against Westchester Flames, Matteo literally laid his ‘blood on the line’ for almost a repeat. First, he scored the Knights’ ‘insurance’ (3rd) goal from a free kick just outside the box. This time putting it low, hard and bending to beat goalie Hasley Holder on his left. Then, pumping his
Calvary ’s every play, the Knights skipper pleaded on infringements that seemed too harsh or too mild, and got his second yellow card in as many games.
Attacked like a prey, Matteo was stunned not to see a caution on the Rough Riders for a vile tackle that gave him a gash under his left eye. Blood trickling his cheeks, he left the game in disgust for medical attention and returned. Matteo later said he was carded because referee Brian Dunn said “I was supposed to check back in,” to action. Teammate Sebastian Alvarado and Riders’ Chris Cox and Diego Martinez also shared the caution fate.
Alvarado eased that misfortune when he panned one into the Riders’ net in the 33rd minute. The striker, positioning himself well all game, got a thru pass from an overlapping Arthur Kulkov (defender) and used his lush control and accuracy to take the Knights 2-up.
Earlier, Alvarado had indicated that he was ready to add his name to the stats. In a pre-game interview he said, “we are looking for an awesome game tonight by feeding off of our opening win and supporting each other out there. We’re gonna’ step up our play, and I’m personally looking to contribute in a big way.”
After being nullified in the
Westchester game, target striker Tarik Smith also scorched the net with the Knights opening goal. Against the run of play, the #10 shirted ‘lancer’ brought the fans to their feet in the 10th minute with a well-placed right foot shot to the left of Holder. Smith’s strike came after a deft steal by nippy midfielder Hemir Niebles on the upper left flank of the box. “Coach told us you gotta’ pressure them and we did and got the ball away in their defense. I saw the open goal and took the chance.” Smith felt he also felt like the target for the Riders’ defensemen. “Last year I played three games against them and I score in all, so maybe I was marked.”
Down at the back the Knights defense regimen of Ruben Diaz, Javier Gonzalez, Gabriel Ortega and Kukov thwarted several raids by the Riders’ goal hungry attack. Whenever they were breached, first game MVP Chris Antonino continued to log his brilliant saves to keep leading scorer Mike Grella, Mike Todd and crew at bay. It took a penalty kick in the 36th minute to satisfy the starving Riders, as captain Tadeu Terra got past an agile attempt from the Knights’ custodian.
It was later revealed that Matteo received seven stitches for the unlucky cut. Both he and Balsamo agreed that “the Rough Riders are an excellent side that plays good soccer, and to come out tops over Dan Fisher’s team means a lot to the guys.” The rivalry gets little breathing space. The Knights’ next game is a return fixture to the Riders in a week’s time (Tuesday, May 20th from 8:00 pm) at the St. Anthony High School in
Long Island
