The 2014–15 Rochester Lancersseason was the fourth and final season of the Rochester Lancers professional indoor soccer club. The Lancers, an Eastern Division team in the Major Arena Soccer League, played their home games at Blue Cross Arena in downtownRochester, New York. The team was led by owner Salvatore "Soccer Sam" Fantauzzo and head coachDoug Miller. The Lancers finished the regular season with a 10–10 record, making this the first season in the team's four-year history with a record at or above.500. They won the first round of the MASL playoffs but lost to the Baltimore Blast in the Eastern Division final. In July 2015, the team cited a sharp increase in the cost of insurance to more than double the team's payroll costs and announced the end of the franchise.
Season summary
The Lancers began on an up note by defeating the Detroit Waza in overtime, winning their season opener for the first time in franchise history. The team then lost an overtime decision to the Ontario Fury before their first of two three-game winning streaks on the season. The Lancers lost 7 of their next 8 games, defeating only the Detroit Waza between December 27 and January 24. Of the Lancers' 10 wins in the regular season, 3 came from sweeping the season series against Detroit, another 4 from sweeping the Harrisburg Heat, and the remaining 3 from splitting their 6-game series against the Syracuse Silver Knights. The Lancers lost all 4 of their regular season matchups against the Baltimore Blast and all 3 of their games against non-division opponents. Their 10–10 record was good enough for third place in the Eastern Division and a spot in the playoffs. There they defeated Syracuse in a best-of-3 series before facing Baltimore on the road for a winner-take-all Eastern Division Final. The Lancers fell 6–4 to the Blast, ending their season.
History
Launched as an expansion team in the third Major Indoor Soccer League for the 2011–12 season, Rochester went a combined 27–43 in their three seasons as members of the MISL, qualifying for the playoffs only once. After the 2013-14 season, several teams withdrew from the MISL, leading to the league's collapse. Along with five other former MISL teams, the Lancers joined the teams of the Professional Arena Soccer League, which was soon rebranded as the Major Arena Soccer League. The other teams in the Eastern Division are former MISL clubs Baltimore Blast and Syracuse Silver Knights, plus PASL clubs Detroit Waza and Harrisburg Heat.
Off-field moves
Four of the five Eastern Division teams keep score with multi-point scoring at their home games. Most goals are worth two points but goals scored from outside a 45-foot arc on the turf are worth three points. Games played at Detroit or in the Central, Southern, and Pacific Divisions will be scored with traditional soccer scoring where each goal is worth one point. On December 27, the team will induct four new members into the Rochester Lancers Wall of Fame: former players Dave Sarachan, Eli Durante, and Peter Short plus former television play-by-play announcerRich Funke. All four were connected to the original Rochester Lancers of the North American Soccer League. The team's home arena turf, purchased by the city of Rochester in 2011 for $150,000, came under public scrutiny in January after the Baltimore Blast blamed the turf's poor condition for injuries to two of its players. Lancers owner Salvatore Fantauzzo described the turf as "the worst turf in pro indoor soccer". In March 2014, the team revealed it was in negotiations to relocate to Dome Arena at The Dome Center in suburban Henrietta, New York.
The Lancers' team awards were presented to team captainMauricio Salles as Team MVP, forward Joey Tavernese as Offensive Player of the Year, defender Jake Schindler as Defensive Player of the Year, and defender Brad Vanino as Rookie of the Year. The team's Community Service Award was presented to Elliot Fauske as the player that "best exemplifies character and dedication to the community". This is Fauske's third consecutive win. Rochester forward Mauricio Salles was selected for the 2014-15 MASL All-League Second Team. Rochester's Yakiel Perez and goalkeeper Marcelo Mareira earned honorable mentions for the league's all-rookie team for 2014-15.
