ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Just call it Momo Magic. Then again, goalkeeper Andrew Coughlin produced some magic of his own guarding the goal.

Uros Momic’s second goal of the night snapped a 1-1 tie in the 69th minute to boost the Rochester Lancers to a 2-1 victory over Cleveland SC in a National Premier Soccer League game at Charles A. Schiano Field at Aquinas Institute on Sunday evening.

Coughlin who made several big saves, including stopping a penalty kick to keep Cleveland SC off the scoreboard and off balance, was named man of the match.

The win avenged Rochester’s 4-0 defeat at Cleveland SC on May 26.

The Lancers raised their record to 2-1 in the Midwest Region East Conference while Cleveland SC fell to 2-2.

Despite being outplayed by the visitors for a good portion of the match, the Lancers found a way to prevail as they won their second home game of the season.

They can thank Coughlin and Momic for that.

Momic converted a penalty kick in the 11th minute to boost the Lancers into a 1-0 lead.

Some 11 minutes later, Coughlin made the save of the match, guessing correctly and saving Michael Derezic’s penalty kick after Vincent Bell was taken down in the box to keep the Rochester lead at one goal.

Not surprisingly, Coughlin also frustrated several Cleveland SC players during the run of play.

Coughlin also had some help from the woodwork. In the 35th minute, Antonio José Manfut fired a shot off the post. Manfut had an affinity for the goal as he sent a shot off another post in the 67th minute.

As good as Coughlin was, he wasn’t perfect. In the 63rd minute, Derezic made up for his missed penalty kick, went around two defenders and beat the keeper to knot things up at 1-1.

Momic, however, broke the deadlock, scoring off an Enrique corner kick in the 69th minute.

Coughlin and the Lancers were able to keep Cleveland SC off the scoreboard for the final 21 minutes.

Cleveland played without its leading goal-scorer Tom Beck after he was red-carded in the team’s Friday match against the Erie Commodores.

In the opening game of the doubleheader, the Lady Lancers dropped a 2-0 decision to the Long Island Rough Riders in a United Women’s Soccer game.

Both Rochester sides will remain at home next Sunday, June 9 for another Aquinas doubleheader. The Lady Lancers host the Connecticut Fusion at 2 p.m. and the Lancers’ men welcome the Pittsburgh Hotspurs for a 5 p.m. encounter in NPSL action.

 

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.