Originally posted to Voyageurs Soccer Talk message board.

CP article: Rhinos Advance to A-League Final
by Winnipeg Fury



Rhinos advance to A-League final

 ROCHESTER, N.Y. (CP) -- Defender Craig Demmin headed in his first career goal
with Rochester in the 80th minute Sunday to move the Raging Rhinos into the
A-League soccer final with a 1-0 win over the Toronto Lynx.

 Demmin, a native of Trinidad, rose above a pair of Lynx defenders to head home a
Carlo Zavala free kick

 The teams had tied 1-1 on Friday night in Toronto in the opening game of the two-leg
Eastern Conference final. The Rhinos benefitted from a 75th-minute goal by Dan
Stebbins to tie that game.

 Rhinos goalkeeper Scott Vallow recorded his third shutout of the playoffs. Toronto's
Theo Zagar was the busier of the two 'keepers, facing 16 shots to seven for Vallow.

 There was no shortage of action in the game with 15 corners, 10 of which went to
Rochester.

 "I'm pleased with the season," said Toronto coach and GM Peter Pinizzotto. "We did
much better than people gave us credit for and the players were great all year."

 The Rhinos will meet the Minnesota Thunder in the A-League championship game on
Saturday.

 It marks the third consecutive season the two clubs have met for the title, with each
team winning once. The Rhinos defeated the Thunder 3-1 in Rochester in 1998 while
the Thunder won 2-1 in Minnesota last season.

 The Thunder, top playoff seeds in the West, finished the regular season at 20-4-4.

 The fourth-seeded Lynx were 13-11-4 during the regular season before knocking off
Long Island and Richmond in the playoffs.

 The fourth-seeded Rhinos were 17-9-2 during the regular season.

 "We take our hats off to the Lynx," said Rochester coach Pat Ercoli, a Toronto native.
"They had a lot of injuries and we were surprised they went this far."

Posted on Sep 24 2000, 8:25 PM
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