The Ocean City Barons dropped their second straight rain-soaked league match with a 1-0 loss at the Long Island Rough Riders on Tuesday night at St. Anthony’s High School. After an early goal by Adam Himeno, the Barons controlled the game, but were unable to find an equalizer. The loss drops the team’s record to 5-3-1, keeping them in third place in the Northeast Division.

Barons Lineup	School / Hometown
GK - Tunde Ogunbiyi	Boston College / Gwynedd, PA
DEF - Jamal Neptune	Hofstra / East Windsor, NJ
DEF - Leon Brown	Wheeling Jesuit (’04) / Sicklerville, NJ
DEF - Jimmy Davis	LaSalle (’09) / Pittsgrove, NJ
DEF - Joe Banks	Drexel (’07) / Sicklerville, NJ
MID - Neal Melchionni	Lehigh / Marmora, NJ
MID - Billy Pinto	Hofstra / Audubon, NJ
MID - Rory McCrea	Hofstra / Leeds, England
MID - William Swetra	James Madison / Egg Harbor, NJ
FWD - J.T. Noone	Temple / Harrisburg, PA
FWD - Byron Carmichael	Marshall (’03) / Lumberton, NJ
Substitutes
Ryan Richter	LaSalle / Southampton, PA
Kyle Miller	Holy Cross / Woodbury, NJ
Karl Reddick	Boston College / Pottstown, PA
Tyler Bellamy	St. Bonaventure / Hammonton, NJ
Scoring Summary
3rd (LONG ISLAND)	Adam Himeno (Danny Kramer)
GAME STATS	OCEAN CITY						LONG ISLAND
Shots	11						8
Saves	2						4
Fouls	16						13
Offsides	4						2
Corners	8						5

For the fifth time in nine league matches, the Barons played in the rain.

"It didn’t rain all day," said Barons head coach Neil Holloway. "Then as soon as we set foot on the field for pregame warm-ups, the heavens opened."

The Barons got off to a slow start, allowing the opening goal in the third minute. Former Rochester Rhinos player Danny Kramer beat Neal Melchionni (Lehigh / Marmora, NJ) on the right wing and delivered a cross into the box. Himeno, the one attacking player in the box, found space in the box, met the ball and one-timed it into the back of the net.

"It was really a slow start for us," said Holloway. "It really seemed like the Baorns were still on the bus in the opening minutes. But after that wake up call, we proceeded to dominate the game."

The club produced a number of opportunities, including missed header chances from William Swetra (James Madison / Egg Harbor, NJ) and Joe Banks (Drexel / Sicklerville, NJ) in the first half. Later on, Billy Pinto (Hofstra / Audubon, NJ) had a shot that was headed to the back of the net blocked by a defender in front. 

At halftime, Holloway made the first attacking substitution, sending the club’s co-leading goalscorer Kyle Miller (Holy Cross / Woodbury, NJ) into the lineup to join Byron Carmichael (Marshall / Lumberton, NJ) and J.T. Noone (Temple / Harrisburg, PA) up top. Even with the extra firepower, the Barons were unable to crack the Rough Riders defense, led by goalkeeper Ryan Meara, who made four saves in the match. 

Ocean City continued to put dangerous balls into the box, but even with three strikers, they were unable to level the scoreline. The best chance of the second half came with a combination play between the three forwards. With about 25 minutes remaining, Noone played a ball into Carmichael who crossed to Miller, who was right in front of goal. From two yards out, the Rough Rider defense converged on him, blocking the close-range shot and clearing the ball from danger.

The Men In Red were unable to capitalize on set pieces, including seven corner kicks in the second half.

With the clock winding down, Holloway threw everything at the Long Island net, including moving defender Jimmy Davis (LaSalle / Pittsgrove, NJ) to forward and putting the club’s co-leading goalscorer Ryan Richter (LaSalle / Southampton, PA) to an outside back position, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Tunde Ogunbiyi (Boston College / Gwynedd, PA) made two saves for the Barons in the losing effort.

"The D.C. United [U.S. Open Cup] game is becoming a bit of a burden," said Holloway after the match. "They just can’t seem to get their minds off it. I expect them to re-focus and come out ready to play on Saturday."

In their next league match, the Barons welcome the Rhode Island Stingrays to the Tennessee Avenue Soccer Complex on Saturday, June 27. Kick off is at 5:30 p.m. at the new venue while Carey Stadium continues to be re-sodded. Ocean City hasn’t lost to the Stingrays since the Barons’ inaugural PDL season in 2003 and have outscored Rhode Island 18-7 during their five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1) against the Rays.

Barons notes:

 

• With both players playing 90 minutes tonight, Joe Banks and Byron Carmichael remain tied for the club record in minutes played in a career with 5,753.
• The Barons have lost three of their last four league matches.
• Despite losing the last two league matches and giving up three goals total in those games, Tunde Ogunbiyi still boasts a 0.71 goals against average. He has given up five goals in seven matches.
• Joe Banks and Jimmy Davis are the only two players on the roster who have played every minute of every league game in 2009.
• Along with Banks and Davis, Byron Carmichael, Rory McCrea, Jamal Neptune, J.T. Noone, and Billy Pinto have appeared in every game.
• Former Baron Michael Todd came into the game as a second half sub for Long Island. Todd played for the Barons in the 2005 season and played professionally for the Charleston Battery of the USL First Division as well as playing indoor for the Baltimore Blast.