ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Making their fourth consecutive appearance in the USL Cup Playoffs, the Rochester Rhinos will make a bid at becoming the second team to win two USL Cups in three seasons as they enter the 2017 postseason with another sturdy defense and an attack that has provided enough to earn a home game to open the postseason for a third successive year. The Rhinos lost out in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in a penalty shootout against the New York Red Bulls II a season ago after coming close to springing an upset on the road. With a three-game winning streak to end the regular season the Rhinos are rolling into the playoffs. 

2017 USL Cup Playoffs: Quarterfinal matchup:
No. 4 Rochester Rhinos vs. No. 5 Charlotte Independence – Saturday, Oct. 21, 6:05 p.m. ET, Capelli Sport Stadium

2017 USL regular season:
Records:

Overall: 14-7-11 (53 points) | Home: 9-2-5 (32 points) | Road: 5-5-6 (21 points)

Goals For: 36 | Goals Against: 28

Leaders:
Goals: 1. Jochen Graf 10; 2. Wal Fall 9; 3. (tie) Darius Madison, Kendaro Forbes 3

Assists: 1. Cristiano Francois 6; 2. Kendaro Forbes 5; 3. Wal Fall 2; 4.(tie) 6 with 1

Saves: 1. Tomas Gomez 40; 2. Daniel Lynd 22

Clinched its postseason … Oct. 7, with a  2-0 win against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds

Clinched the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference … Oct. 14, with a 2-1 win against the New York Red Bulls II

Defining moment: The Rhinos were one of those teams which just got the job done without too much fuss throughout the season, getting through to the fourth seed without ever looking in too much danger of missing out on the postseason or getting high enough to challenge for top spot in the Eastern Conference. Things weren't necessarily going as smoothly as the Rhinos were expecting early in the season, however, as the side first took a 5-0 defeat on the road against the Charleston Battery on April 15, and then a week later needed a stoppage-time equalizer to grab a 2-2 draw against the New York Red Bulls II on home turf at Capelli Sport Stadium to run an early winless streak to three games. That brought a big spotlight to the Rhinos' first clash with the Charlotte Independence since their meeting in the 2016 USL Cup Playoffs on April 29, and the Rhinos more than rose to the occasion. Led by a goal from Wal Fall and two assists by Christiano Francois, Rochester took a 4-0 victory that put the side's season on the right track. 

Three keys to a championship run:
1. Jochen Graf Up Front: An offseason addition, Graf proved himself more than an adequate replacement for the Rhinos' departures as he scored 10 goals in the regular season, and the German striker is coming into the USL Cup Playoffs on form with goals in the last three matches of the season. Those performances earned Graf a place on the last two editions of the USL Team of the Week. A strong target that can hold up play to allow support to arrive quickly, Graf does most of his work in the hard areas of the penalty area, with all 10 of his goals coming inside the box. Graf's willingness to work for his team in starting the Rhinos' defensive pressure is also impressive for a striker, and he's made the most of the opportunities he's earned with a 22 percent chance conversion rate. He'll need to be watched carefully by opposing defenders.

2. Holding Firm: As has been typical for the Rhinos under Head Coach Bob Lilley the side had another stellar defensive year as it conceded just 28 goals this season, the second-fewest in the league, and the fewest in the USL Eastern Conference. With the playoffs often a battle of attrition that puts added pressure on defenses to avoid conceding vital goals, the Rhinos find themselves in a strong position to make a run for the USL Cup. The Rhinos made 615 tackles in the regular season, leading the league, as Wal Fall and Ryan James finished at the top individually for the team with 79 and 75 tackles respectively, but the expectation is that everyone works on defense from the attack back, which usually makes Rochester a tough defense to crack.

3. The Great Wall of Gomez: Tomas Gomez won the USL Golden Glove for the second straight year with another great performance in the Rhinos' net. Gomez managed a 0.73 goals-against average to continue a long history of strong defense and goalkeeping in Rochester, with the Rhinos having claimed the award on four consecutive occasions as Gomez follows in the footsteps of John McCarthy (2014) and Brandon Miller (2015) in claiming the award. Gomez managed 11 clean sheets, just one behind the USL lead held by San Antonio FC goalkeeper Diego Restrepo, and with a sturdy defense before him proved difficult to beat throughout the season. Willing to come off his line to claim possession in the penalty area to end danger before it starts, Gomez will be a player to watch if the Rhinos make a run.

QUOTABLE:
"If we need to be hungry to win, I mean, I’m not hungry that often, but those guys if they’re hungry, hopefully they’re able to do that on Saturday.” Rochester Rhinos Head Coach Bob Lilley previewing the playoffs with WHAM.