The New York Centaurs advanced to the Quarterfinals of the 1995 U.S. Open Cup with a 3-0 win over the Connecticut Wolves in front of about 200 fans at Downing Stadium on Randall’s Island. It was the first of three USISL vs. A-League matchups of the First Round.
It was a much-needed win for a Centaurs team that had struggled to score goals in their inaugural season in the A-League. They had scored just five goals in their first seven league games, which three of those five goals came in a 3-0 upset of the Seattle Sounders.
For the Wolves, it was another disappointing result for a team that entered the game having lost six of their last seven league games in the USISL Pro League. To add insult to injury, US national team player Janusz Michallik started the game for the Centaurs after spending the first four games of the season with the Wolves.
The Centaurs got off to a bad start when Lee Tschantret was sent off in the 15th minute. The indoor soccer standout who played last season with the Kansas City Attack, went airborne while challenging a Wolves player going for the ball near a corner flag.
Despite playing down a man, the Centaurs still managed to take the lead. Eight minutes after Tschantret’s ejection, former US national team member Sadri Gjonbalaj opened the scoring for New York. Former Princeton University standout David Vaudreuil delivered the assist on the play in the 22nd minute.
Three minutes later, the Centaurs doubled their lead when Paul Allen sent in a cross that was headed home by defender Carlos Llamosa to the far post. It was another accomplishment for Llamosa, who signed with New York after five years away from professional soccer. He last played for Colombian first division club Huila back in 1990 before moving to the United States.
Another indoor soccer standout added a third goal just after halftime for the Centaurs when Marcello Carrera scored an unassisted goal in the 51st minute.
About 10 minutes after the home team made it 3-0, the Wolves swapped goalkeepers with starter Des McAleenan making way for backup John Salvatore.
Despite being down a man for the 75 minutes, the Centaurs defense managed to keep the Wolves off the scoresheet. Rookie goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi made four saves to earn the clean sheet in his Open Cup debut. Oshoniyi helped Southern Connecticut State University win a pair of NCAA Division II national titles (1990, 1992) before turning pro and signing with the Centaurs.
The 10-man side from New York outshot Connecticut 16-14.