ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Soccer fans in Rochester had an exciting Sunday evening as the Flower City Union faced off against the Rochester New York Football Club in the Rochester Derby.

In the rivalry game at Old Sahlen’s Field, fans from both sides showed up in support. Flower City took an early lead in the first half when Dylan Rice zigzagged through the defense and scored, putting them up 1-0, after Rodrigo Almeida stole the ball from RNY.

“Got the ball, Rodrigo [Almeida] obviously made a great defensive stop there, he jumped their outside back, and the ball landed to me,” Rice said. “And it was one-v-one…faked right, went left and footed the bottom corner.”

By the 66th minute, the score remained unchanged until RNYFC’s Jameson Reilly’s free kick was pushed back by the Union. Nick Swanger seized the opportunity, swinging the ball high over the crowd to equalize the score at 1-1. This tie held until stoppage time.

In the 93rd minute, Flower City’s Nick Rippe dribbled through the defense and kicked it back to Jack Hopson. Hopson set it up perfectly for Almeida, who scored with a header, securing a 2-1 victory for Flower City Union.

“It’s a game between us and the other Rochester team, so it’s a special one,” Almeida said. “Getting the goal in the last minute. You know, we’re close to the victory, which is what we work for. Such a happy feeling for us, for these fans, for my teammates. There’s no words really to explain. I think we deserve it.”

“Complete relief,” Dylan Rice said. “I knew Rodrigo, he’s absolutely dangerous in the air. He got up there, put it right in the back of the net. It was just complete relief and joy.”

The 3-0 Union will play their next match at home against Niagara one week from today. Both Flower City and RNYFC play in the National Premier Soccer League.

Image courtesy of Andrew Omoregie, Owner of Capture Media Studios.

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