The Rochester Lancers (formerly known as Rochester River Dogz FC) are an American soccer team based in Rochester, New York. Founded as the Rochester River Dogz in 2015, the team rebranded as the Rochester Lancers in April 2017.[1] The team play its home games at the Aquinas Institute's Wegmans Stadium.
 | |||
| Full name | Rochester Lancers | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | RLancers | ||
| Short name | Lancers | ||
| Founded | 2015 | ||
| Stadium | Wegmans Stadium, Rochester, New York | ||
| Owner |
| ||
| Coach | Doug Miller Adam Schwartz | ||
| League | UPSL | ||
| 2017 | 3rd, Great Lakes East | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
Their name comes from the original Lancers who played from 1967 until 1980 as well as the indoor team that began play in 2011.
About
The Rochester River Dogz Football Club were accepted to play in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in November 2015. The River Dogz won their inaugural game 1–0 against FC Buffalo. The River Dogz finished the regular season with a 3–4–3 record. The River Dogz were owned by Marc Mandell and Nick Mojsovski. In 2017 Doug Miller joined the group and convinced Salvatore "SoccerSam" Fantauzzo to be part owner and let the group use the Rochester Lancers name and logo. The Lancers celebrated their 50th year in 2017 with the return of the outdoor Lancers in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and the new Lady Lancers in the United Women's Soccer League (UWS). The 2017 both Lancers outdoor teams played at the Charlie Schiano Field at The Aquinas Institute. Due to renovations at Aquinas the teams moved to the Marina Auto Stadium for the 2018 season. The team was formed in the NASL in 1967. The team played from 1967 to 1980. In 2009 SoccerSam purchased the Lancers name and logo for his soccer collection and to pay tribute to the Legends and pioneers of American soccer. In 2011, SoccerSam introduced the indoor Lancers as part of the MISL which became the MASL. Lancers indoor soccer brought back many familiar Rochester soccer favorites, including Doug Miller who was the team's leading scorer for the first three seasons and then became the head coach in the final year. After the 2015 season the team went into hiatus due to issues with the NYS insurance fund.[2]
Stadium
The Lancers' home field is Wegmans Stadium at the Aquinas Institute, although they played in Marina Auto Stadium for the 2018 season.[3]
Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Record | Regular Season | Playoffs | Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | NPSL | 3–4–3 | 4th, Midwest-Great Lakes East | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2017 | 4 | NPSL | 6–4–2 | 3rd, Midwest-Great Lakes East | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2018 | 4 | NPSL | 6–3–3 | 3rd, Midwest-Great Lakes East | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2019 | 4 | NPSL | 6–2–2 | 2nd, Midwest-Great Lakes East | Midwest Region Semifinal | Did not qualify |
| 2020 | 4 | NPSL | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[4] | |||
| 2021 | 4 | NPSL | 2–7–1 | 5th, Midwest-Rust Belt | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
Players
2017 Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | DF |  USA | Nikkye De Point |
| 15 | MF | USA | Austin Gerber |
| 23 | DF |  IRL | Glenn Holmes |
| 21 | FW |  BIH | Zikret Osmic |
| 18 | FW |  GHA | Isaac Kissi |
| 25 | MF | USA | Jesse Toth |
| 3 | MF | USA | Antonio Manfut |
| 2 | FW | USA | John Imwalle |
| 29 | DF | USA | Jayme Kapinos |
| — | FW | USA | Dominic Coco |
| 20 | FW | USA | Mitchell Brickman |
| 17 | FW |  ENG | Sam Jiggins |
| 30 | GK | USA | Joey Kapinos |
| 1 | GK | USA | Tyler Brew |
2020 Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | MF | USA | Frankie Ciliberto |
| 14 | FW | USA | Alex Harling |
| 15 | FW | USA | Austin Gerber |
| 16 | FW | USA | Andriy Demydiv |
| 17 | FW | USA | Peter DiLorenzo |
| 18 | MF | USA | Bryan Wolanski |
| 20 | DF | BIH | Zikert Osmic |
| 21 | MF | USA | Matt D'Amico |
| 22 | GK |  BRA | Marcelo Moreira |
| 23 | MF | USA | Jeremy Ortiz |
| 24 | MF | USA | August Finn |
| 25 | DF | USA | Jake Reed |
| 27 | DF |  PER | Diego Mayanga |
| 31 | DF | USA | Jeremy Loncao |
| 35 | GK | USA | Christian Esposito |
| 19 | FW | USA | Doug Miller |