decided to move up, and began their first season in the A-League in that year. They finished the regular season third in the Northeast Division behind Montreal Impact with a 13–10–5 record. Long Island beat Rochester Raging Rhinos and the Impact in the playoffs, before losing the Carolina Dynamo in the semifinals. The Rough Riders also enjoyed a run to the quarterfinals of the US Open Cup, beating USASA amateur team Bridgeport Italians in the second round, then upsetting Major League Soccer side New England Revolution 4–3 before eventually falling to the New York/New Jersey MetroStars 1–0 on a golden goal. Defender Travis Rinker made the All A-League Team that year. The Rough Riders finished fourth in the Northeast Division in 1998, and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Kickers. The following season was a similar story as the team finished third in the regular season, and were defeated in the first round of the playoffs by the Pittsburgh Riverdogs. Strikers John Wolyniec and Darko Kolic were much more prolific, scoring 15 and seven goals, respectively. Fortunes improved significantly in 2000, as the Rough Riders claimed their first regular-season title at this level, winning the Northeast Division by one point over the Rochester Raging Rhinos with a 16–9–4 record. Striker Edson Buddle scored 11 of the team's 54 goals, and goalkeeper Paul Grafer posting a 1.29 goals against average. Their title came thanks to nine bonus points earned for scoring three or more goals in a game. However, for a third straight season, playoff success eluded the Rough Riders, who lost 2–1 to the Toronto Lynx in the conference quarterfinals. The high of the first year of the new millennium was followed by a disappointing low in 2001 as the Rough Riders slumped to their first losing record in years (8–16–4), finishing sixth in the Northern Conference – 42 points behind divisional champions Hershey Wildcats. Following the campaign, team ownership decided to voluntarily relegate the team to the D3 Pro League for 2002. Back to the Third Tier – USL Second Division The Rough Riders bounced back magnificently in 2002, winning the D3-Pro League Atlantic Conference with a 13–6–1 record, six points clear of New York Freedom in second place. Derrick Etienne and Cordt Weinstein combined for 27 goals, while goalkeeper Billy Gatti maintained an imposing presence in net. Long Island squeaked past New York on