2015 Rochester Rhinos season
The 2015 Rochester Rhinos season was the club's twentieth season. It was the Rhinos fifth-consecutive year in the third tier of American soccer, playing in the United Soccer League Eastern Conference. The Rhinos finished the regular season in first place, clinching the #1 seed and home field advantage in the 2015 USL Playoffs. The Rhinos won the USL Championship, the club's 5th overall, by defeating LA Galaxy II 2–1 after extra time.
| 2015 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Rob Clark | ||
| Head coach | Bob Lilley | ||
| Stadium | Sahlen's Stadium | ||
| USL | 1st, Eastern Conference | ||
| USL Playoffs | USL Champions | ||
| U.S. Open Cup | Fourth Round | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Christian Volesky (8) All: Steevan Dos Santos (9) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 6,922 (July 26 vs. Charleston) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 4,251 (July 8 vs. Montreal) | ||
| Average home league attendance | League: 5,599 All: 5,556 | ||
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Background
The Rhinos debuted a new commemorative logo to be used during the 2015 season celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the club's founding.
The Rhinos started the season on a record nineteen game undefeated streak, after finishing the prior season in 6th place.
Competitions
Friendlies
| March 6, 2015 Preseason | Rochester Rhinos | 6 - 1 | Niagara Purple Eagles | North Chili, New York |
| 6:00 PM ET | Totsch Ugarte Samuels Rolfe , Volesky 80' |
Report | Ferguson | Stadium: Roberts Wesleyan College |
| March 8, 2015 Preseason | Rochester Rhinos | 3 - 0 | Buffalo Bulls | North Chili, New York |
| Volesky 23' Duba 40' Tsoulakos 59' |
Report | Stadium: Roberts Wesleyan College |
| March 13, 2015 Preseason | Ottawa Fury FC | 1 - 1 | Rochester Rhinos | Rochester, New York |
| DeBellis 25' Haworth 75' |
Report | Lanteri 20' | Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium |
| March 15, 2015 Preseason | Rochester Rhinos | 0 - 0 | Cornell Big Red | Rochester, New York |
| 3:00 PM ET | Report | Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium |
| March 20, 2015 Preseason | Rochester Rhinos | 4 - 0 | Syracuse Orange | Rochester, New York |
| 2:30 PM ET | Rolfe 2' Ringhof 12' Walls 35' Duba 55' |
Report | Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium |
| June 11, 2015 RCSD School Day Soccer Game | Rochester Rhinos | 3 - 0 | FC Buffalo | Rochester, New York |
| ET | Samuels 8' Ruggles 56' Forbes 74' |
Report | Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 5,000+ | |
| Note: 80-minute match | ||||
USL
| March 28, 2015 Match 1 | New York Red Bulls II | 0 - 0 | Rochester Rhinos | Harrison, NJ |
| 2:00 PM ET | Report | Garzi 31' Rolfe 42' Ringhof 79' |
Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 547 Referee: Ryan Dos Reis |
| April 4, 2015 Match 2 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 1 - 2 | Rochester Rhinos | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 7:00 PM ET | Arena 37' Touloute 48' Earls 67' |
Report | McMahon 23' Walls 27' Volesky 45' Dixon 50' Silva 77' |
Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 2,274 Referee: Vito Testa Jr. |
| April 11, 2015 Match 3 | FC Montreal | 0 - 3 | Rochester Rhinos | Montreal, Quebec |
| 2:30 PM ET | Dinkota 57' Lajoie-Gravelle 60' Zoue 63' Charbonneau 88' |
Report | Rolfe 6' Mendoza 33' Volesky 67', 69' McMahon 87' |
Stadium: Saputo Stadium Attendance: 258 |
| April 16, 2015 Match 4 | Louisville City FC | 1 - 1 | Rochester Rhinos | Louisville, KY |
| 7:30 PM ET | West 20' Guzman 34' |
Report | Dixon 21' Ruggles 40' |
Stadium: Louisville Slugger Field Attendance: 4,772 Referee: Aaron Hernandez |
| April 18, 2015 Match 5 | Saint Louis FC | 0 - 1 | Rochester Rhinos | Fenton, MO |
| 8:30 PM CT | Gaul 37' | Report | Rolfe 77' | Stadium: World Wide Technology Soccer Park Attendance: 5,001 Referee: Cedric Adams |
| April 26, 2015 Match 6 | Rochester Rhinos | 2 - 0 | New York Red Bulls II | Rochester, NY |
| 2:05 PM ET | Obasi 9' Dixon 39' Garzi 83' |
Report | Jean-Baptiste 78' Etienne 89' |
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 6,184 Referee: Brandon Artis |
| May 2, 2015 Match 7 | FC Montreal | 1 - 2 | Rochester Rhinos | Montreal, Quebec |
| 4:00 PM ET | Gagnon 17' Riggi 87' |
Report | Walls 27' Volesky 56', 63' Ringhof 71' Mendoza 76' |
Stadium: Saputo Stadium Attendance: 330 |
| May 9, 2015 Match 8 | Rochester Rhinos | 1 - 0 | Toronto FC II | Rochester, NY |
| 7:05 PM ET | Van De Casteele 58' Duba 90' |
Report | Edwards 49' Babouli 87' 89' |
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 5,179 Referee: David Mon |
| May 16, 2015 Match 9 | Wilmington Hammerheads | 1 - 1 | Rochester Rhinos | Wilmington, NC |
| 7:00 PM ET | Rolfe 70' Duba 90' |
Report | Fairclough 90+' | Stadium: Legion Stadium Attendance: 2,781 Referee: Doug Hartemann |
| May 23, 2015 Match 10 | Toronto FC II | 0 - 0 | Rochester Rhinos | Toronto, Ontario |
| 12:00 PM ET | Report | Garzi 69' | Stadium: BMO Field Attendance: 986 |
| May 30, 2015 Match 11 | Rochester Rhinos | 1 - 0 | FC Montreal | Rochester, NY |
| 7:05 PM ET | Volesky 8' Duba 9' |
Report | Alessandro 34' Hocine 37' Morelli 46' Ndiaye 88' |
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 4,487 Referee: Vito Testa, Jr. |
| June 13, 2015 Match 12 | Rochester Rhinos | 2 - 0 | Louisville City FC | Rochester, NY |
| 7:05 PM ET | Walls 24' Forbes 44' Duba 68' |
Report | Rivera 62' | Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 6,896 Referee: Jaroslav Werel |
| June 19, 2015 Match 13 | Harrisburg City Islanders | 1 - 1 | Rochester Rhinos | Harrisburg, PA |
| 7:30 PM ET | Plumhoff 44' | Report | Ringhof 56' Volesky 87' |
Stadium: Skyline Sports Complex Attendance: 3,024 Referee: Mark Treilman |
| June 27, 2015 Match 14 | Rochester Rhinos | 1 - 0 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | Rochester, NY |
| 7:05 PM ET | Walls 79' | Report | Hunt 53' Earls 82' Arena 90' Hunt 90' |
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 6,704 Referee: Jamie Herrera |
| July 3, 2015 Match 15 | Charleston Battery | 0 - 0 | Rochester Rhinos | Charleston, SC |
| 7:30 PM ET | van Schaik 57' | Report | Garzi 30' McMahon 35' Rudy 84' Volesky 86' |
Stadium: Blackbaud Stadium Attendance: 3,448 Referee: Aleksander Zhelyazk |
| July 8, 2015 Match 16 | Rochester Rhinos | 2 - 1 | FC Montreal | Rochester, NY |
| 7:05 PM ET | Rolfe 15' Rudy 29' Volesky 32' Rudy 64' |
Report | Paulmin 14' Messoudi 56' Gravelle 85' |
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 4,251 Referee: Ernie Constantine |
| July 11, 2015 Match 17 | Toronto FC II | 0 - 2 | Rochester Rhinos | Vaughan, Ontario |
| 2:00 PM ET | Report | Duba 55' Mendoza 57' Duba 63' Volesky 90' |
Stadium: Ontario Soccer Centre Attendance: 565 Referee: Alexis Vaughan |
| July 18, 2015 Match 18 | Rochester Rhinos | 0 - 0 | Charlotte Independence | Rochester, NY |
| 7:05 PM ET | Garzi 68' | Summary | Martínez 2' DelPiccolo 34' |
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 5,189 Referee: David Mon |
| July 26, 2015 Match 19 | Rochester Rhinos | 1 - 0 | Charleston Battery | Rochester, NY |
| 4:05 PM ET | Steevan Dos Santos 9' Van De Casteele 32' |
Summary | Garbanzo 24' Ferguson 90' |
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 6,922 Referee: Charles Murphy |
| August 1, 2015 Match 20 | Charlotte Independence | 4 - 1 | Rochester Rhinos | Charlotte, NC |
| 7:00 PM ET | Mike Garzi 25' Grant Van De Casteele 32' Pat McMahon 39' Tony Walls 56' Christian Volesky 59' |
27' 34' Alex Martínez 38' Tomasz Zahorski 51' Enzo Martínez 61' (pen.) 66' Caros Alvarez |
Stadium: Ramblewood Soccer Complex Attendance: 2,145 Referee: Neil Barbulescu |
| August 9, 2015 Match 21 | Rochester Rhinos | 1 - 1 | Richmond Kickers | Rochester, NY |
| 5:05 PM ET | Kenardo Forbes 50' | 37' 53' Jared Jeffrey 42' William Yomby 50' Travis Worra 67' Fred Owusu Sekyere |
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 5,234 Referee: Vito Testa, Jr. |
| August 15, 2015 Match 22 | Rochester Rhinos | 2 - 1 | Wilmington Hammerheads | Rochester, NY |
| 7:05 PM ET | Mendoza 37' Forbes 26' Apostolopoulos 33' Van de Casteele 81' |
Moose 59' Cole 60' Ackley 82' Heaney 89' |
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 4,842 Referee: Tori Penso |
| August 22, 2015 Match 23 | Rochester Rhinos | 4 - 0 | Harrisburg City Islanders | Rochester, NY |
| 7:05 PM ET | Walls 16' Mendoza 19' Duba 67' Duba 71' Samuels 86' |
Leverock 48' Ekra 55' Noble 60' |
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 6,272 Referee: David Mon |
| August 30, 2015 Match 24 | Rochester Rhinos | 2 - 0 | Saint Louis FC | Rochester, NY |
| 4:05 PM ET | Rolfe 4' Walls 35' |
Roberts 30' | Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 5,532 Referee: Jamie Herrera |
| September 5, 2015 Match 25 | Richmond Kickers | 0 - 0 | Rochester Rhinos | Richmond, VA |
| 7:00 PM ET | Callahan 36' Robinson 44' Martin 78' |
McMahon 69' | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,411 Referee: Neil Barbulescu |
| September 16, 2015 Match 26 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 1 - 1 | Rochester Rhinos | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 7:00 PM ET | Hunt 51' Moloto 69' |
Volesky 83' | Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 2,499 Referee: Guido Gonzalez Jr |
| September 19, 2015 Match 27 | Rochester Rhinos | 3 - 2 | New York Red Bulls II | Rochester, NY |
| 7:05 PM ET | Rolfe 3' Rolfe 9' McMahon 31' Mulgrew 53' Garzi 60' Mendoza 88' Mendoza 90' |
Obekop 35' Plewa 38' Williams 44' Bonomo 90' |
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 4,672 Referee: David Mon |
| September 24, 2015 Match 28 | Rochester Rhinos | 2 - 0 | Toronto FC II | Rochester, NY |
| 7:05 PM ET | Rolfe 69' Samuels 85' |
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 5,612 Referee: Jaroslaw Werel |
Standings (Eastern Conference)
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rochester Rhinos (C, X) | 28 | 17 | 10 | 1 | 40 | 15 | +25 | 61 | Conference semi-finals |
| 2 | Louisville City FC | 28 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 55 | 34 | +21 | 48 | |
| 3 | Charleston Battery | 28 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 43 | 28 | +15 | 46 | First round |
| 4 | New York Red Bulls II | 28 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 46 | 45 | +1 | 42 | |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 28 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 53 | 42 | +11 | 41 | |
| 6 | Richmond Kickers | 28 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 41 | 35 | +6 | 41 | |
| 7 | Charlotte Independence | 28 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 38 | 35 | +3 | 40 | |
| 8 | Harrisburg City Islanders | 28 | 11 | 6 | 11 | 49 | 53 | −4 | 39 | |
| 9 | Saint Louis FC | 28 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 30 | 40 | −10 | 33 | |
| 10 | FC Montreal | 28 | 8 | 4 | 16 | 32 | 46 | −14 | 28 | |
| 11 | Toronto FC II | 28 | 6 | 5 | 17 | 26 | 52 | −26 | 23 | |
| 12 | Wilmington Hammerheads | 28 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 22 | 42 | −20 | 19 |
Rules for classification: 1) head-to-head; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) disciplinary points; 6) away goals scored; 7) away goal differential; 8) home goals scored; 9) home goal differential; 10) coin toss or drawing of lots
(C) Champions; (X) Regular Season League Champion
Results summary
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 28 | 17 | 10 | 1 | 39 | 15 | +24 | 61 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 5 | +19 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 10 | +5 |
Last updated: October 6, 2015.
Source: USL
Results by matchday
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
USL Playoffs
| First round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | USL Championship | |||||||||||
| October 3 | ||||||||||||||
| #1 Rochester Rhinos | 2 | |||||||||||||
| September 26 | ||||||||||||||
| #4 New York Red Bulls II | 0 | |||||||||||||
| #4 New York Red Bulls II (a.e.t.) | 4 | |||||||||||||
| October 10 | ||||||||||||||
| #5 Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 2 | |||||||||||||
| #1 Rochester Rhinos | 1 | |||||||||||||
| September 26 | ||||||||||||||
| #2 Louisville City FC | 0 | |||||||||||||
| #3 Charleston Battery (a.e.t.) | 2 | |||||||||||||
| October 3 | ||||||||||||||
| #6 Richmond Kickers | 1 | |||||||||||||
| #2 Louisville City FC (a.e.t.) | 2 | |||||||||||||
| #3 Charleston Battery | 0 | |||||||||||||
| October 16 | ||||||||||||||
| #1 Rochester Rhinos (a.e.t.) | 2 | |||||||||||||
| #5 LA Galaxy II | 1 | |||||||||||||
| October 3 | ||||||||||||||
| #1 Orange County Blues FC | 0 | |||||||||||||
| September 26 | ||||||||||||||
| #5 LA Galaxy II | 2 | |||||||||||||
| #4 Sacramento Republic FC | 0 | |||||||||||||
| October 11 | ||||||||||||||
| #5 LA Galaxy II | 1 | |||||||||||||
| #5 LA Galaxy II | 2 | |||||||||||||
| September 25 | ||||||||||||||
| #2 Oklahoma City Energy FC | 1 | |||||||||||||
| #3 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 2 | |||||||||||||
| October 4 | ||||||||||||||
| #6 Seattle Sounders FC 2 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| #2 Oklahoma City Energy FC (p) | 2 (4) | |||||||||||||
| #3 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 2 (3) | |||||||||||||
Playoff Results
| October 3, 2015 Conference Semi-finals | Rochester Rhinos | 2–0 | New York Red Bulls II | Rochester, New York |
| 7:05 pm EDT | Dos Santos 48' Obasi 63' Dos Santos 69' Van De Casteele 77' |
Report Report |
Plewa 22' | Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 6,378 Referee: Greg Dopka |
| October 10, 2015 Conference finals | Rochester Rhinos | 1 - 0 | Louisville City FC | Rochester, New York |
| 7:05 pm EDT | Apostolopolous 23' McMahon 29' Forbes 49' Walls 60' Dixon 74' Duba 83' |
Report | Quinn 49' | Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 5,561 Referee: Matthew Kreutzer |
| October 16, 2015 Championship | Rochester Rhinos | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | LA Galaxy II | Rochester, New York |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Bourdeau 58' Forbes 81' Samuels 90+' Samuels 113' |
Walker 45' Lassiter 65' Maganto 85' |
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 5,247 Referee: Nima Saghafi |
Championship Game MVP: Asani Samuels
U.S. Open Cup
| May 20, 2015 Second round | Rochester Rhinos | 1–0 | GBFC Thunder | Rochester, New York |
| 7:05 PM ET | Forbes 39' | Report | Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium |
| May 27, 2015 Third Round | Harrisburg City Islanders | 1 - 3 | Rochester Rhinos | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
| 7:00 PM ET | Barril 8' Cruz 57' Tribbett 68' DiPrima 75' Jankouskas 106' |
Report | Duba 15' 38' Ringhof 98' Forbes 107' Samuels 115', 120', 119' Walls 119' |
Stadium: Skyline Sports Complex |
| June 16, 2015 Fourth Round | Philadelphia Union | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (3–1 p) | Rochester Rhinos | Chester, Pennsylvania |
| 7:30 PM ET | Pfeffer 104' | Report Box Score |
Totsch 80' McMahon 90' Walls 98' Volesky 103' |
Stadium: PPL Park |
| Penalties | ||||
| Edu Nogueira Sapong Maidana |
Mendoza Apostolopoulos Walls Volesky |
|||
Statistics
Appearances and goals
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Regular Season | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
Top scorers
| Position | Nation | Number | Name | USL Pro | U.S. Open Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Disciplinary record
| Position | Nation | Number | Name | USL Pro | U.S. Open Cup | Preseason | Total (USSF Total) | ||||
| TOTALS | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
Roster
as of April 28, 2015 [1]
Technical Staff
as of May 30, 2015[2]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bob Lilley |
| Assistant coach | Georgios Kyriazis |
| Goalkeeping coach | Gavin McInerny |
| Head Trainer | Doug Graham |
Transfers
See also
References
- "Rochester Rhinos Team Roster". Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
- "Rochester Rhinos Coaching Staff". Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2015.