New Rochelle , NY (May 26, 2012)- Heading into their third game of the PDL Season, the Rough Riders were looking for a win, and win they received. The Rough Riders defeated the Westchester Flames 1-0 to earn their first win of the season. The team worked hard throughout and conditioning proved to be vital as the Rough Riders were short handed on the bench.  

After one loss and one tie, the Rough Riders looked more in sync tonight and deserved this solid win on the road.

The Rough Riders came out controlling the pace of the game early on. In the 40th minute team captain Danny Kramer scored off of a wonderful pass by Keith Detelj.  Both players have been with the Rough Riders for numerous seasons and this type of veteran leadership is exactly what the team needed.

During half time, Head Coach Paul Roderick stressed the importance of a good start to the second half. The Rough Riders did their part, playing excellent defense with the help of goalkeeper Alex Naples.

Late in the second half Keith Detelj had a wonderful opportunity to lock in the game, but was denied by Flames goalkeeper Adrian Foncette. Detelj is known for his excellent work rate and the coaching staff is certain he will begin to score goals.

"The Rough Riders won their first match of the season by playing well defensively," said Long Island Rough Riders Vice President Flavio Ferri, "Although the team is not scoring a ton of goals yet, as they begin to train more it is only a matter of time before forwards Detelj and Megaloudis get going."

Be sure to support the Rough Riders as they continue the PDL 2012 Season at Cy Donnelly Stadium in South Huntington on Thursday, June 7th at 7:30pm as they take on the Bermuda Hogges.

For tickets, visit www.liroughriders.com/tickets or call the Rough Riders Office at 516.622.3900.

About The Long Island Rough Riders
The Rough Riders, Long Island’s hometown soccer team since 1994. In 1995 both the Rough Riders Men’s and Women’s teams won their first United Soccer League (USL) National Championship. Since their initial success, the Rough Riders Men’s team has gone on to win the 2nd Division National Championship in 2002 while the Rough Riders Women’s team qualified for the Eastern Conference Finals in 2008.

The Rough Riders are known for developing players including former US National Team members Chris Armas, Tony Meola, and MLS All Star Giovanni Savarese and Jimmy Rooney along with US Olympic Team Member and current Junior Rough Riders Coaching Director, John Diffley.

Box Score                                     First Half      Second Half       Final
Westchester Flames                       0                        0                    0
Long Island Rough Riders             1                        0                    1

Scoring Summary
40th Minute-Rough Riders - Danny Kramer ( Keith Detelj)  

Lineups:
Flames -Christopher Herrorg (Adrian Foncette -46), Thomas Monz, Ryan Dillon, Michael Deronte, Diego Velasquez, Giovanni Egoita (Alex Rodier - 82), Ryan McNamara (Orlando Castanelia - 69), Abraham Chehebar, Jake Keegan, David Panthane (Ehdri Burdigha -86), Emanuel Calixto (Richard Heredia - 46)

Rough Riders:  Alex Naples, Danny Kramer, Stephan Barea, Tom Wharf, Adam Weinzimer, Gary Flood, Matt Wendelken, Ben Arikian, James Mulligan, Keith Detelj, Chris Megaloudis

                                         Flames                            LI Rough Riders        
Shots                                                14                                            12
Saves                                                 3                                               3
Fouls                                                  9                                             10
Corners                                              5                                              7
Offside                                               2                                               4

Cautions
Yellow Card - Stephan Barea (Rough Riders) -  8th Minute
Yellow Card - Giovanni Egoita (Flames) - 52nd Minute
Yellow Card - Keith Detelj (Rough Riders) - 68th Minute

Ejections
None

Referee:  Matt Merrier
Assistant Referees: Dan Marques, Sin Hong Loi
Fourth Official: None
Attendance: 120
Weather:  Cloudy, 73 Degrees

Contributor:  Daniel Weberman