ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The Rochester Lancers (5-6) fell to the reigning MISL Champion Milwaukee Wave (8-0) 10-6 in front of 6997 fans at the Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester Community War Memorial. Patrick Hannigan made 18 saves to keep the Lancers close while Buffalo native Gary Boughton scored the first two goals of the game for the Lancers and Jeremy Ortiz had a goal and an assist. Greg Howes and Marcio Leite led the Wave with three points each on the night.
After an up and down first few minutes, the Milwaukee possession game led to Marcio Leite finding former Rochester Rhino Greg Howes for an easy one touch goal to put the Wave on the board first. The Lancers played a patient defensive game that limited Milwaukee’s looks until another former Rhino in Jonathan Greenfield had a chance that looked like it was going in before it was tipped in by a Lancers defender for an own goal that was credited to Ian Bennett to make the score 4-0 Milwaukee after one quarter of play.
Early in the second quarter, reigning MISL Player of the Week Mauricio Salles set up Gary Boughton for the goal to cut the Milwaukee lead in half. Greenfield got onto the score sheet a couple of minutes later when he set up Leite for his first goal of the game. Nicolas Perera was alone in the penalty area when the ball bounced to his feet and he made the Lancers pay to put the Wave up 8-2 just over five minutes into the quarter. The Lancers pulled back to within four when Jeremy Ortiz took the ball from in front of the Lancers’ bench to the end boards and then got a cross to Boughton who touched it home for his second goal of the game to make the score 8-4 Milwaukee at the half.
Less than two minutes into the half, Ortiz took a breakaway pass from Will Kletzien and put it away to pull the Lancers to within two points of the Wave. The veteran Milwaukee squad was able to take advantage of a free kick at the top of the arc as Joe Hammes took the pass from Howes and hammered it high into the Lancers’ goal to put the Wave back up by four points at 10-6 after three quarters of play.
COURTESY ROCHESTER LANCERS
