By Dylan Butler
Andre Borges, Chris Aloisi and Chris Wingert have been playing soccer together in one form or another for several years.
Just not for the Brooklyn Knights.
In their first year with the Premier Development League club, the talented trio helped the Knights remain perfect at home this season with a 2-0 win over Vermont at a drenched Metropolitan Oval Saturday night.
Borges and Wingert scored a goal in each half, and Aloisi picked up an assist on Borges’ third goal in as many games, as Brooklyn improved to 3-2-1 and 3-0-1 at home this year.
Borges put the Knights ahead in the 21st minute when he received a brilliant cross from Aloisi, who played with Wingert at St. John the Baptist High School, at the top right of the 18-yard box. The Clemson standout settled the ball and then blasted it into the upper left hand corner of the net.
“Andre Borges has been playing really well, he’s a class player who has given us a lot of spark up front, good tenacity,” Knights head coach Dan Fisher said. “I don’t think this was one of Chris Aloisi’s better games, but I think he got the job done. He’s a real spark, a great signing this year.”
The goal actually seemed to energize the Voltage, which controlled play for the remainder of the first half and for chunks of the second half as well.
But the Knights’ back line of Pablo Orantes, Gary Sullivan, Chris Leidner and Rob Fucci held Vermont (2-2-2) in check. When challenged, keeper Billy Gaudette was equal to the task, making five saves to earn his first shutout of the year.
“The whole back four was real sharp tonight,” Fisher said. “Billy organized them and Pablo had a great game, but as a sweeper you never really get recognition, but the whole back four played really well.”
Speedy Rinaldo Chambers entered the match in the 57th minute and almost instantly caused problems for the Voltage defenders. In the 82nd minute he raced into the box, only to get tripped up by Matthieu Saravia, who received a yellow card.
Wingert, a standout at St. John’s and a member of the U.S. Under-23 national team, stepped to the penalty spot and slotted the ball low to the right of Vermont keeper Andrew Olivieri, who dove to his left, to give the Knights a 2-0 lead.
Vermont, which dropped its second straight game, was reduced to 10 men two minutes into stoppage time when defender Paul Tomaro was sent off by referee Steve Karaduzovic for a two-footed challenge along the touchline.
The Knights look for their first road points of the year Saturday when they face the Worcester Kings at 7 p.m.
New York Freedoms 4, Reading Rage 1. Georges Haba and Rocky Bojovic scored two goals apiece for the Freedoms (3-4-1 Pro Select League) Friday night in a romp over first-place Reading at Ray Buss Field in Fleetwood, Pa.
The Freedoms, who handed the Rage its fifth straight loss, take on the rival Long Island Rough Riders (3-0-3) Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Mitchel Athletic Complex.
New York Freedoms 2, Long Island Rough Riders 2. Nick Christopher and Julio Cesar scored for the Freedoms in a 2-2 draw at St. John’s DaSilva Field May 28.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
