Rebels Drop New York Cup Opener

The Albany Rebels dropped a frustrating game to the Buffalo Fenians in their New York Cup opener on Saturday 3-9 (18 points) to 1-11 (14 points). The Rebels got off to a slow start, and although they settled down, could not make up the difference.

At times, the Rebels showed quality, moving the ball through midfield and manufacturing good chances. But they squandered some goal scoring opportunities and point attempts. Even as Cillian Flavin knocked in some important points in the later stages, they could not overcome the deficit.

The Rebels cut the deficit to three points with about two minutes left in the game, but Buffalo quickly responded with a point to put the match out of reach.

"We did some things well and we did some things very poorly," said co-head coach Mark Adam. "We just failed to make smart plays, whether it was moving the ball up the field, defending runs or making tackles. We'll address all of those things in training and give a better performance next week against Syracuse."

Forward Chris Poggi led the Rebels in scoring with a goal and three points, and Cillian Flavin added four points.

Albany's newest players did well, especially backs Chris Scotto di Carlo and RC Helsing and midfielder Mikey Heiserman. They all brought physicality, won tackles and made simple passes to kickstart the offense.

The Rebels will travel to play Syracuse next Saturday.