PITTSBURGH – The Rochester Rhinos sealed their place in the USL Cup Playoffs as they managed a 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds at Highmark Stadium on Saturday night. It took just 22 seconds for the Rhinos to hit the lead, after stealing possession Christiano Francois sent the ball into the box to find Jochen Graf, who redirected it past the goalkeeper for the opener. Only Riverhounds goalkeeper Matt Perrella was keeping it 1-0 as he made a phenomenal save to deny Graf a second goal in the sixth minute, but Rochester's Wal Fall scored his ninth goal of the season to double the lead in the 14th minute as a deflection fell kindly to the Rhinos midfielder, leaving him with a simple finish. The Riverhounds had a much better performance in the second half, controlling things well through but they couldn’t break through for a goal to get back into the match. That was largely due to a strong defensive performance from the Rhinos, which held Pittsburgh back, holding the Riverhounds without a shot on target throughout the match in a strong performance to clinch a playoff place.

Scoring:
1’ – ROC – Jochen Graf (Christiano Francois)
14’ – ROC – Wal Fall

• #PGHvROC: Full Match and Opta Box Score

Three Things That Matter:

• 1. With the win the Rhinos sealed their place in the USL Cup Playoffs for the 2017 season. It marks a fourth straight season of postseason action for the Rhinos, and now the task will be to fight for positioning, with a home match in the first round of the playoffs still a possibility.

• 2. The disappointing run for the Riverhounds continued as Saturday's loss extended their winless run to six matches. It is this run that has eliminated the Riverhounds from the playoffs, the second straight year Pittsburgh has missed the postseason

• 3. It was an absolutely dominant performance from the Rhinos, as they consistently peppered the Pittsburgh goal with 13 shots. The Rhinos defense was strong, holding Pittsburgh without a shot on target through the whole match, with 23 tackles in a strong team defensive performance.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match:

Jochen Graf, Rochester Rhinos – After scoring in the first minute, Graf didn’t rest on his laurels continuing to be a threat to the Riverhounds all match. In addition to his goal, he created one chance for his team mates, and won five duels.

Upcoming Games:
Pittsburgh Riverhounds vs. Ottawa Fury FC - October 14, 7p.m. ET, Highmark Stadium
Rochester Rhinos vs. Bethlehem Steel FC – October 10, 7:05p.m. ET, Capelli Sport Stadium