Crew crash out of Open Cup on penalty kicks
Columbus falls to 1-2 all-time against Rochester in tournament play
The Rhinos are now 2-1 against Columbus in Open Cup play, having also previously defeated the Crew in the semifinals of their run to the 1999 Open Cup championship.
Rochester did not take long to find its first chance of the night. Just five minutes from kickoff, forward Tai Atieno found himself with a chance straight on goal. Going in alone on Columbus goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum, he was a second too late to the ball as Gruenebaum beat him to it and slid to kick the ball out-of-bounds.
Only a minute later, Gruenebaum came off his line and Rhinos forward Jonny Menyongar had a wide-open look from the top of the box. Gruenebaum tipped the dipping shot just wide, surviving another close look by Rochester.
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In the 20th minute, Atieno was played a ball down the right sideline. After dribbling his defender one-on-one, he found Menyongar making a streaking run towards him. Menyongar hit a great shot on goal but Gruenebaum made the save again to knock the ball out-of-bounds.
Just 10 minutes later, defender Ty Harden put the Rhinos in front. After a free kick from midfielder Andrew Gregor was taken and the ball ended up at the feet of Menyongar, the cross dropped to Harden who took a touch to turn and fire the ball into the net. Harden's goal was his first for the Rhinos in just his second appearance for the team.
The Crew tied the game in the 37th minute, when Duncan Oughton put in a volley through a couple of Rhinos defenders.
Rochester was given a golden opportunity in the 55th minute, when midfielder Ryan Heins was fouled in the penalty area awarding the Rhinos a penalty kick. Gregor stepped up to the spot, but Gruenebaum continued his strong game by saving the kick to his left. Crew midfielder Alex Grendi received his second yellow card of the game after the foul, forcing Columbus to play with 10 players for the rest of the match.
In the 78th minute, the Rhinos had another very good chance when Menyongar played Atieno through for a breakaway but Atieno fired high and wide of the goal.
In the first overtime interval, Rochester was awarded a free kick 10 minutes in where Gregor laid a pass off to forward Mauricio Salles but his shot was blocked by a Crew defender. Goalkeeper Tim Melia was forced into a save in the 105th minute and had to cover up his rebound to keep the game tied.
From a Rochester corner kick five minutes into the second overtime interval, Gregor was open at the top of the box but hit his shot high over the goal.
The teams headed into penalty kicks where the Rhinos made their first three kicks through defender Darren Kenton, Salles and Gregor. The Crew made their first two but Melia stepped up to make a play on their third, saving Oughton's shot off the line after punching it out on the attempt. Rhinos defender Kenney Bertz slotted his home and the Crew followed up with a goal on their fourth kick. With a chance to put the Rhinos into the next round, Heins took Rochester's fifth and final kick and put the ball into the back of the net, giving the Rhinos the victory.
Rochester will host their quarterfinal match next Tuesday, July 7, taking on the USL-2 Wilmington Hammerheads, who upset the Chicago Fire in their third-round contest.
