By Rochester Rhinos ,

Rochester, NY (August 23, 2016)- The Rochester Rhinos enter the week with two matches ahead of them, both on the road. The first a challenging trip to Cincinnati on Wednesday, followed by a Saturday match up against Wilmington. Unfortunately for the Rhinos, their luck on the road lately has not been going in their favor.

The first stop on the trip is at Nippert Stadium. This is the first time the Rhinos will be visiting Nippert Stadium, and the second time they will be facing FC Cincinnati. In their first match up the Rhinos earned a 2-1 victory over the newcomers at Rochester Rhinos Stadium. Goals game from captain Mike Garzi off a rebound by Steevan Dos Santos, who later finished a penalty kick to give the Rhinos a 2-0 lead. Cincinnati quickly returned the favor with a penalty kick of their own, finished by Okoli. The Rhino’s defense held strong after that and managed to hold onto the lead.

The Rhinos have not won a game on the road since June 4 against FC Montreal. In their last six road matches the team is 0-1-5. Although success has come at home recently for the Rhinos, seeing victories over Pittsburgh and Wilmington, the team will be tested on the road against third place FC Cincinnati.

The Rhinos are tied with the Charlotte Independence with 39 points on the season, and only three points behind FC Cincinnati who sits with 42. A win on the road against a top team would be a huge victory for the Rhinos with playoffs approaching. If the Rhinos finish the season strong, they will be in a good spot to defend their 2015 USL Championship title.

An advantage for the Rhinos heading into the match is that FC Cincinnati will be without their leading goal scorer Okoli, who will be serving his one game suspension after picking up his 5th yellow of the season. Okoli leads the team with 11 goals on the season, without his presence on the field the team will be looking to share their offensive attack among other forwards.

As for Rochester, the real advantage is the chemistry that forwards Steevan Dos Santos and Christian Volesky have been showing on the field lately. While Volesky leads the team in scoring with eight goals on the season, tying his season high from 2015, Dos Santos is not far behind with five. What is most interesting is that the pair has three goals and three assist in their last five matches, each assisting the other on all three goals. If the dynamic duo can keep its energy up heading into Wednesday, they will sure be a challenge for FC Cincinnati.

FC Cincinnati hasn’t played a game at home in almost a month, the energy at Nippert Stadium should be electric and set the tone for a good match between two competitive teams. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 on Wednesday. Fans can watch live on the USL Match Center, or follow along on Twitter using #CINvROC.