Six doubleheaders highlight home schedule
(Plainview, N.Y.) – The Long Island Rough Riders men’s and women’s teams will kick off the franchises 16th season this Saturday, May 9th at Cy Donnelly Stadium located at St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington.
With their new home, the Rough Riders schedule will feature six doubleheaders among the nine home dates between the men’s and women’s teams. The season will kick off this Saturday with the Rough Riders women facing the New Jersey Wildcats at 5:00 PM and then at 7:30 PM, the Rough Riders men will take on the New Hampshire Phantoms.
The 2009 Rough Riders men’s team will feature a couple of local college standouts. Joel Gustafsson and Tadeu Terra (St. John’s University), Josh Cruz (NYIT), and Richard Martinez (Hofstra) will all feature this season alongside former MLS players Chris Aloisi, Gary Flood, Mike Palacios, and Chris Megaloudis. A season after missing the playoffs by one victory, the Rough Riders men will look to make their mark in the United Soccer League’s Northeast Division, which features the Brooklyn Knights and Westchster Flames as local rivals.
A year after qualifying for the USL’s Eastern Conference Final Four, the Rough Riders women will have a handful of familar faces in their 2009 lineup. Veterans Kerri McCabe and Brooke DeRosa will attempt to lead the Rough Riders back to the W-League playoffs for a second consecutive year. Joining them in their efforts will be United States Under 20 National Team player Gina DiMartino as well as Courtney Curby and Jenna McKeon, who will be returning for their second season with the Rough Riders.
Tickets are available for the Rough Riders home opener on Saturday, May 9th at Cy Donnelly Stadium located at St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington. Individual tickets will be available at the main gate. Adult tickets are $10, Youth 16 and under are $8, and groups of 12 or more are $6 each. Season tickets and group ticket packages are also available by calling the Rough Riders at (516) 622-3900.
To see the Rough Riders men’s and women’s schedules as well as the 2009 ticket packages, please visit www.liroughriders.com or call (516) 622-3900.
About the Long Island Rough Riders
The Long Island Rough Riders have been part of the Long Island soccer scene since their inception in 1994. The Rough Riders men and women’s team won their first National Championship in 1995. The Rough Riders men’s team featured former US National Team members Chris Armas, Tony Meola, and MLS star Giovanni Savarese. Since their initial success, the Rough Riders men’s team has gone on to win the United Soccer League (USL) 2nd Division National Championship in 2002 and has sent numerous players to Major League Soccer (MLS).
In 2007 the Rough Riders reacquired a W-League franchise, which was formerly known as the Lady Riders. The Rough Riders women’s team qualified for the Eastern Conference Finals in 2008.
In recent years, the Rough Riders organization has expanded to include the Junior Rough Riders program, featuring elite level players from 8 to 17 years of age. Junior Rough Riders teams from 13 to 17 years old participate in the Super Y-League (SYL), the youth component of the USL.
About the United Soccer Leagues (USL)
As United Soccer Leagues starts its third decade of operation, soccer at all levels continues to grow in the U.S., Canada, and Caribbean. The largest organization of elite-level soccer leagues in North America, United Soccer Leagues is dedicated to growing the sport at the grassroots level in every community. The USL First Division and Second Division (North American men’s professional soccer), the USL Premier Development League (U23 North American men’s amateur), the USL W-League (North American women’s amateur), the USL Super-20 League (U20 North American men’s and women’s amateur) and the USL Super Y-League (North American boy’s and girl’s elite youth amateur) have provided a platform for thousands of players to reach their dreams since 1986. This vision and commitment to develop a soccer nation by fans, investors, administrators, coaches, and players has created the foundation for the growth of the sport, while presenting affordable, exciting family entertainment in over 100 cities and towns on the continent.
