UNIONDALE, N.Y. (June 15 2022) –

The Long Island Rough Riders suffered their first defeat of the USL League Two season, dropping a 1-0 decision to Manhattan SC at the Mitchel Athletic complex on Wednesday night.

Paolo Carroll scored from the top of the penalty area, driving the ball past goalkeeper Wessel Speel into the lower right corner for the lone goal of the match in the 78th minute.

The Metropolitan Division leaders (5-1-0, 15 points) became the last league side to fall from the unbeaten and untied ranks while Manhattan SC improved to 4-1-0 and 12 points.

Long Island came out flying, although good scoring chances for both teams were few and far between.

The hosts enjoyed the majority of the play in the early going before Manhattan SC discovered its footing to even things up in possession.

Defender Mason Tatafu almost gave the Riders an 11th-minute lead as he drove Niklas Roessler’s corner kick just wide right of the net.

Matthew Vowinkel, the Rough Riders’ leading scorer (nine goals), had the best opportunity of the first half as his six-yard attempt was denied by goalkeeper Alexander Sutton’s kick save in the 36th minute.

Only seconds before the halftime whistle, Valdemar Sadrifar put the ball past Speel, but the goal did not count because the Manhattan SC player was ruled to be offside.

Long Island put all sorts of pressure on the Manhattan SC net at the start of the second half but could not find the range.

Still, the Rough Riders came close twice later on.

In the 64th minute, the Riders’ Filip Mirkovic smashed a shot from distance that bounded off the crossbar.

Vowinkel had one last opportunity as Sutton managed to tip his header away for a corner kick in the 84th minute.

The Rough Riders will return to action at FC Motown STA at Drew University on Saturday, June 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Their next home game will be against the Westchester Flames at Mitchel on Sunday, July 10 at 6 p.m.

For more information on the team, visit www.LIRoughRiders.com.

Rose slotted home a rebound of captain Kimberly Marra’s shot off the left post for her first goal of the season.

The second-place Rough Riders (13 points) improved to 4-1-1 in the Metropolitan Division while Manhattan SC 97) dropped to 2-3-1.

Long Island enjoyed a possession advantage in the opening 10 minutes, with two attempts on goal. Nicole Bermudez tried to chip goalkeeper Tyler Hawkins in the 10th minute and Furtuna Velaj had her shot from the top of the box saved a minute later.

Manhattan SC drew first blood against the run of play in the 12th minute. Brittany Cummins smacked a 25-yard blast that was out of the reach of goalkeeper Alana Brennan into the upper left corner for a 1-0 lead.

An unmarked Elizabeth Cruz had a golden opportunity to equalize from close range in the 25th minute, but she sent her shot over the crossbar.

Cruz, however, made sure she wouldn’t miss in the 33rd minute as she intercepted an errant Manhattan pass, beat her defender on a breakaway and took a shot from the top of the penalty area that Hawkins got a hand on but could not stop from trickling into the net.

Amanda Buck took advantage of Jordan Littleboy’s long free kick as Hawkins left the net to corral the ball and the Rough Rider had an easy header from point-blank range to give the hosts a 2-1 lead in the 36th minute.

The Rough Riders had an opportunity to grab a two-goal lead after Maeve Parmelee fouled Buck in the penalty area, but Hawkins denied Marra’s penalty kick in the 58th minute with a diving save to her right.

Long Island came close to scoring again in the 63rd minute when Littleboy clanged a long-range shot off the left post.

The visitors knotted things up in the 68th minute as second-half substitute Anna Griffin tallied off a 25-yard shot from the left side.

As time was winding down, neither side was happy with a draw as the game opened up in the final 10 minutes. Brennan came out of her net to deny Griffin in the 84th minute and Hawkins gathered in Velaj’s close-range header a minute later.

The Rough Riders next will be in action at Queensboro FC at Queens College on Saturday, June 18 at 8 p.m. ET. They return home to host FA Euro New York at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale, N.Y. on Wednesday, July 6 at 8 p.m. ET.

For more information on the team, visit www.LIRoughRiders.com.