Newburgh, N.Y. — The Long Island Rough Riders suffered a tough 2–1 defeat to the Hudson Valley Hammers on Wednesday evening at Mt. St. Mary’s College, with a late penalty decision proving decisive in a tightly contested USL League Two match.
Hudson Valley opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when Alejo Conceras capitalized on a defensive lapse and placed a low shot past goalkeeper Ethan Wood. The Rough Riders responded quickly, leveling the match just three minutes later. Drew Lovelace finished off a well-worked sequence in the 25th minute, slotting home from close range to make it 1–1.
The match remained deadlocked deep into the second half, with both sides creating chances but unable to find a breakthrough. That changed in the 83rd minute when the referee awarded a controversial penalty to Hudson Valley following minimal contact in the box. Despite protests from the Rough Riders, the decision stood. Francesco Diponzio converted from the spot, sending Wood the wrong way and giving the visitors a 2–1 lead they would not relinquish.
The loss drops Long Island to 8-2-1 (25 points), remaining in second place in the challenging Metropolitan Division.
The Rough Riders will close out the regular season on the road Saturday, June 12th, vs. the Westchester Flames. That result will decide the outcome of the first round of playoffs on Tuesday, July 15th, where the Rough Riders could end up hosting if the results go in their favor.