Brandon Trujillo sent a looping left-footed finish into the back of the Rochester NY FC net in the 95th minute on Wednesday night in Canton, Ohio, to give them their very first NPSL playoff victory, sending them to the Great Lakes Conference Championship on Saturday in their inaugural season.
The first 30 minutes of the match were a heavily back-and-forth affair with opportunities being created and stymied by both sides. It almost seemed as if the two teams were testing each other to see how far the other could bend without breaking.
“We generated chance after chance in the first 20 minutes and could not break through,” said Head Coach Ryan Dean. “But the chances we created were nothing compared to the way that we settled in and defended with great commitment and intensity.”
AFC Ohio did have the better of the chances in the first half. Rochester NY FC Sam Adiutori came up big with two very good saves in that 20-minute period, and RNY FC fullbacks sacrificed with some courageous blocks and did well to clear their lines.
The table was set for changes to happen when AFC Ohio veteran center back Dan O’Callaghan went into a solid tackle late in the first half that earned a caution. The risk of a back on a yellow forced the home side to consider making a change going into the break.
Coming out of the break, both sides did their best to open the match up. In the 52nd minute, AFC Ohio’s Adrian Nunez was able to spin out of pressure and found Amir Spratt at the top of the Rochester box. Seeing he wasn’t the only player in white attacking inside the 18, he slipped the ball through the RNY FC back line to Matt Skladaney. Coming fresh off a hat trick in Buffalo on the weekend to give AFC the 2nd seed, Skladany saw the door open for more. As he met the pass, Skladaney cut across the area to his left and calmly sent side netting, giving Ambassadors a 1-0 advantage.
That advantage did not last long. That opening salvo proved to be the catalyst to truly open the match up for both sides.
Just over five minutes after AFC Ohio drew first blood, Rochester NY FC answered the call. After winning a corner kick, RNY FC took advantage of Ambassadors inability to properly clear their lines and Elhadji Sidibe was able to easily redirect the 2nd chance into the back of the net bringing the match even at 1-1 in the 60th min.
The final 30 minutes then became a mix of a cagey affair, half chances, critical decisions and blocked shots by both sides, and a stalemate of sorts. Both teams made tactical substitutions in preparation for extra time. Trujillo’s insertion into the match in the 76th minute was meant to put a possession-based technical player in a position to stabilize things for for AFC Ohio.
After the center official showed that a minimum of four minutes would be added, Ambassadors seemed to harness a bit more out of their collective batteries. In the 5th added minute, second half substitute Randy Harris was able to pick the ball up on the touchline and carry at speed into RNY half before cutting 30 yards out from goal, showcasing his speed and technique as he beat two defenders. Seeing an opportunity, Harris found Trujillo at the top of the 18, who quickly spun and let a left-footer rip. The ball, slightly deflected, looped over Adiutori sending the home side and supporters into pandemonium, while simultaneously gutting the visitors on the night.
The last kick of the match came from the center spot on the kickoff. The moment marked Trujillo’s last goal and touch in his last match for Ambassadors FC Ohio before he returns to London, England, truly leaving his mark on the team and in the history of Ambassadors FC Ohio in their first NPSL season.
With the victory, Ambassadors FC Ohio travels to Rochester, N.Y. on Saturday to face Flower City Union in the Great Lakes Conference Championship at 5:00 p.m. at the Rochester Community Sports Complex.
