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Gameday Report: May 18, Week 11

By JOHN ARLIA - john.arlia@uslsoccer.com, 05/18/19, 9:30PM EDT

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Frater's hat trick takes New Mexico top of West; Tejada helps Tampa Bay see off New York

Kevaughn Frater recorded his second hat trick of the season to help New Mexico United into first place in the Western Conference standings with a 3-1 victory over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. El Paso Locomotive FC also recorded a 3-1 victory as forward Jerome Kiesewetter scored two more goals to help his side past Sacramento Republic FC, while Phoenix Rising FC claimed back-to-back victories for this first time this season with a 4-0 win over Las Vegas Lights FC.

Elsewhere in the East, Juan Tejada scored twice to help the Tampa Bay Rowdies to a 2-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls II on Saturday night at Al Lang Stadium to take his side top of the conference. Tyler Pasher's late goal helped Indy Eleven secure victory over the Charleston Battery, while Louisville City FC and Saint Louis FC played out a scoreless draw in the Kings' Cup at Slugger Field.

Select a match below...

 

PHOENIX RISING FC (4) VS LAS VEGAS LIGHTS FC (0)

PHOENIX – Rising FC earned back-to-back wins for the first time this season as it produced a standout showing against Lights FC at Casino Arizona Field. Las Vegas goalkeeper Thomas Olsen kept his side in the contest early as he denied Rising FC forwards Junior Flemmings and Adam Jahn in the opening 10 minutes after both had gotten behind the Lights FC defense. Phoenix finally broke the resistance in the 40th minute when José Aguinaga squared the ball across the box to Kevon Lambert, who slotted a right-footed shot past Olsen for his first goal of the season after Jahn expertly dummied the ball to allow it to roll through to his teammate. Flemmings was instrumental in Phoenix’s second goal as he played a give-and-go with Jahn before sending a low cross for Solomon Asante to tap past Olsen at the far post. Jahn continued his scoring streak 13 minutes from time when he won the ball off a Lights FC defender at the top of the box and got a bit of luck as his shot squeezed past Olsen and into the back of the net. A second yellow card to Mobi Fehr compounded Las Vegas’ misery in the 82nd minute and Flemmings finished things off with a goal 10 minutes later to send the fans home happy.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Solomon Asante, Phoenix Rising FC – Asante registered a goal and an assist to help Rising FC shut down Lights FC at Casino Arizona Field.

 

TACOMA DEFIANCE (1) VS RENO 1868 FC (1)

TACOMA, Wash. – Justin Dhillon scored the fastest goal in Championship history to help the Defiance end its losing streak with a draw against 1868 FC. Tacoma took just nine seconds to open the scoring, as a three-pass move was capped off by Dhillon heading Azriel Gonzalez’s left-wing cross past Reno goalkeeper J.T. Marcinkowski. 1868 FC started to work its way back into the contest after the early blow, as Raul Mendiola tested Defiance goalkeeper Trey Muse in the 12th minute and Corey Hertzog tried his luck with a header on the half-hour mark. Reno leading scorer Brian Brown got behind the Tacoma defense and forced an outstanding kick save out of Muse, who was a bit unsighted as the shot came through one of his defender’s legs on the way through. Brown eventually broke through the Tacoma resistance in the 84th minute as he rose highest to head home Seth Casiple’s corner kick at the back post. Casiple nearly provided the winner in the 89th minute as he got to the byline on the left wing and crossed for Daniel Musovski, who couldn’t keep his volley down as 1868 FC settled for a road draw.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Seth Casiple, Reno 1868 FC – Casiple made nine key passes, completed 80 percent of his passes overall and assisted on Reno’s equalizing goal as 1868 FC moved up to fourth place in the Western Conference standings.

 

ORANGE COUNTY SC (2) VS AUSTIN BOLD FC (2)

IRVINE, Calif. – Orange County came from behind twice to earn a draw with Bold FC at Championship Soccer Stadium at OC Great Park. The visitors made an early statement of intent as Callum Mallace tried a right-footed shot from the center of the box in the fifth minute, but just redirected Sean McFarlane’s right-wing cross wide of Aaron Cervantes’ net. Mallace helped create Bold FC’s opener in the 39th minute as his free kick from 30 yards out was parried by Cervantes into the path of Jorge Troncoso, who stabbed home the rebound into the roof of the net. The two teams then traded goals in the 43rd minute with Orange County’s Darwin Jones scoring from a narrow angle to equalize before Bold FC’s André Lima responded 49 seconds later to restore the visitors’ advantage. Orange County came back again seven minutes after the break as Aodhan Quinn volleyed home Jerry van Ewijk’s headed pass, leaving Austin goalkeeper Diego Restrepo with little chance. Restrepo would have been worried about Michael Seaton’s header from a corner kick 12 minutes from time, but the forward’s effort went just wide of the bottom-right corner as the sides settled for a share of the spoils.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Jerry van Ewijk, Orange County SC – van Ewijk made four key passes, competed 82 percent of his passes overall and assisted on both of Orange County’s goals to help his side pick up a point against Austin.

 

EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC (3) VS SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC (1)

EL PASO, Texas – Jerome Kiesewetter scored two more goals to continue his impressive run of form and help Locomotive FC beat Republic FC to earn its third win in four games. Kiesewetter nearly got off the mark three minutes into the contest as he connected sweetly with Calvin Rezende’s right-wing cross but just fired his first-time effort over Rafael Diaz’s crossbar. Rezende gave the home side the lead just seven minutes later as he placed Omar Salgado’s cut back into the bottom-left corner from the top of the penalty area. Republic FC levelled the contest 10 minutes before the halftime break as Cameron Iwasa rose up at the back post and headed a long ball back across goal for Drew Skundrich to power home from close range. Kiesewetter restored El Paso’s advantage in the 63rd minute when Chiró N'Toko flicked on a left-wing corner kick for the Locomotive FC forward to power past Diaz from close range. The 26-year-old extended the lead 10 minutes later when he found a pocket of space inside the six-yard box and directed Edson Partida’s cross past Diaz with the outside of his boot to give El Paso some breathing room as Locomotive FC extended its unbeaten run to five games.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Jerome Kiesewetter, El Paso Locomotive FC – Kiesewetter scored two goals for the third straight game to lift Locomotive FC to victory over Republic FC at Southwest University Park.  

 

SAN ANTONIO FC (1) VS TULSA ROUGHNECKS FC (1)

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio and Tulsa traded first-half goals as the Western Conference rivals settled for a share of the spoils at Toyota Field. The home side got off to the perfect start five minutes into the contest as Ever Guzmán volleyed a low cross across the six-yard box and Brian Gómez applied a pin-point first-time finish to place the ball past Roughnecks goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar and into the roof of the net. Tulsa got back on level terms seven minutes later as Rodrigo da Costa curled a free kick over the wall and past Matt Cardone, only for the ball to bounce off the post and then go in off the back of the SAFC goalkeeper for an own goal. Cristhian Altamirano nearly gave the visitors the lead in the 24th minute as his long-range volley tested Cardone and the SAFC goalkeeper came up with another stop 11 minutes after halftime to deny Manny Gonzalez from outside of the box. Stajduhar produced a strong save to deny San Antonio winger Lance Laing from a free kick in the 72nd minute as Tulsa earned a strong road point against its neighbors SAFC.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Ebenezer Ackon, San Antonio FC – Ackon won 13 of 17 duels, 5 of 7 aerials and made eight recoveries as San Antonio earned its second straight draw.

 

RIO GRANDE VALLEY FC (2) VS LA GALAXY II (2)

EDINBURG, Texas – Ethan Zubak’s stoppage-time strike helped the LA Galaxy II earn an away draw against Rio Grande Valley at H-E-B Park. The visitors got off to a strong start in the 16th minute when Omar Ontiveros popped up at the back post to side-foot home Brian Iloski’s in-swinging corner kick to give the Galaxy II an early lead. RGVFC levelled the contest 11 minutes before halftime when Maalique Foster made an angled run behind the LA defense and tapped home Romilio Hernández’s left-wing cross from close range. Foster turned provider in the 57th minute when he slid a pass to Michael Salazar, who expertly side-stepped LA goalkeeper Justin vom Steeg before finishing into the open net. The home side looked likely to hold onto all three points but failed to deal with a right-wing cross in the 92nd minute and Ethan Zubak pounced on the loose ball before firing home past RGVFC goalkeeper Nicolas Corti to earn his side a point.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Maalique Foster, Rio Grande Valley FC – Foster recorded a goal and an assist to help his side pick up a point at home against the LA Galaxy II.

 

OKC ENERGY FC (1) VS REAL MONARCHS SLC (1)

OKLAHOMA CITY – Tate Schmitt’s stoppage-time strike earned the Monarchs an away point against Energy FC at Taft Stadium. Rafael Garcia should have given the home side the lead on the half-hour mark, but his first-time strike flew just over Andrew Putna’s goal after a smooth give-and-go with midfielder Callum Ross. The Monarchs had the ball in the back of the net from a free kick seven minutes later, but Schmitt was ruled to be offside after heading home Noah Powder’s right-wing delivery. Energy FC finally broke the deadlock in the 71st minute when Cordell Cato lobbed Putna from the left side of the area after running under Omar Gordon’s lofted through ball. However, the visitors grabbed an equalizer late from a free kick as OKC goalkeeper Cody Laurendi got down low to make an initial stop on Konrad Plewa but Schmitt chipped home the rebound to help his side earn a key point on the road.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Josh Heard, Real Monarchs SLC – Heard made five key passes and completed 86 percent of his passes overall while winning 6 of 11 duels and making six recoveries in the Monarchs’ comeback draw.

 

NASHVILLE SC (1) VS CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE (1)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Independence and Nashville SC traded first-half goals in a tightly-contested match at First Tennessee Park. Dominic Oduro gave the visitors the lead in the 15th minute when he expertly curled a right-footed shot around a Nashville defender and into the bottom-right corner, leaving NSC goalkeeper Connor Sparrow with no chance. However, the home side was back level eight minutes later as Lebo Moloto side-footed home at the third attempt after Alan Winn and Kharlton Belmar saw shots saved by Charlotte goalkeeper Curtis Anderson. The Independence had a strong penalty shout with eight minutes remaining as Andrew Gutman was taken out by NSC defender Kosuke Kimura, but referee Gustavo Solorio waved play on. The visitors still nearly found a winner in stoppage time, but Niki Jackson’s effort was cleared off the line by Ken Tribbett as Nashville held on for a point at home.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Lebo Moloto, Nashville SC – Meloto completed 85 percent of his passes, won 5 of 9 duels and scored Nashville’s lone goal in a 1-1 draw at First Tennessee Park.

 

COLORADO SPRINGS SWITCHBACKS FC (1) VS NEW MEXICO UNITED (3)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Kevaughn Frater scored a hat trick to lead New Mexico to a Four Corners Cup victory over Colorado Springs at Weidner Field. New Mexico forward Devon Sandoval had a great chance to open the scoring three minutes into the contest but was denied from close range by Switchbacks goalkeeper Andre Rawls. Sandoval found himself in a similar area 15 minutes later and was tackled by a Colorado Springs defender, but the ball worked its way to Frater, who made no mistake in slotting home past Rawls to give the visitors the lead. Frater doubled his side’s advantage in the 36th minute when he popped up at the back post to tap home a rebound after teammate Josh Suggs saw his initial effort stopped by Rawls. The Switchbacks got a goal back just after the hour mark as Mike Seth stabbed the ball home from close range, but Frater restored New Mexico’s two-goal lead with 15 minutes to go when he rounded Rawls on the left side of the area and put the ball into the empty net to complete his hat trick. NMU goalkeeper Cody Mizell denied Kwasi Donsu’s effort from the top of the box with four minutes to go and New Mexico held on to go top of the Western Conference.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Kevaughn Frater, New Mexico United – Frater recorded his second hat trick of the season to move atop of the league’s goalscoring ranks and help New Mexico move atop the Western Conference standings.

 

MEMPHIS 901 FC (P) VS PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS SC (P)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Saturday night’s game between Memphis 901 FC and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC was abandoned at halftime as lightning and heavy rains caused the game to be called at AutoZone Park. The game will be rescheduled for a future date, and will be replayed from the opening kickoff.

 

TAMPA BAY ROWDIES (2) VS NEW YORK RED BULLS II (0)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A brace from Juan Tejada helped the Tampa Bay Rowdies go top of the Eastern Conference with a 2-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls II at Al Lang Stadium. Tejada got things going for the Rowdies just shy of the half-hour mark when he chested down Andrew Tinari’s corner kick in the six-yard box and wrapped his left foot around a volley to turn the ball into the bottom-right corner. Tampa Bay doubled its advantage in the 58th minute when Kwadwo Poku dribbled to the right-side of the six-yard box and squared an inch-perfect ball across for Tejada to tap home into the waning net. The hosts were reduced to 10 men with 18 minutes to play when forward Dominic Oduro was shown a straight red card for violent conduct, but Tampa Bay navigated the game’s final stages to hold on for all three points.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Juan Tejada, Tampa Bay Rowdies – Tejada scored twice on three shots to help the Rowdies extend their unbeaten start to the season to 11 games.

 

INDY ELEVEN (1) VS CHARLESTON BATTERY (0)

INDIANAPOLIS – After failing to win any of its previous three matches, Indy Eleven picked up a 1-0 victory over the Charleston Battery thanks to Tyler Pasher’s late strike at Lucas Oil Stadium. The home side nearly broke the deadlock with three minutes to go before halftime when Thomas Enevoldsen played a quick free kick to forward Dane Kelly, who fired straight at Battery goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky. Charleston came close to opening the scoring eight minutes after the break as Taylor Muellers’ near-post header was parried over the crossbar by Indy goalkeeper Evan Newton. The hosts finally took the lead with six minutes remaining as Ayoze released Pasher down the left wing and the substitute scored from a sharp angle, banking his effort in off Kuzminsky. Enevoldsen should have doubled the Eleven’s advantage with three minutes remaining but the forward headed wide from the top of the six-yard box as he failed to make the most of Kelly’s inch-perfect cross but it wouldn’t matter as the home side claimed all three points and moved into the top five positions in the East.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Ayoze, Indy Eleven – Ayoze completed 82 percent of his passes and assisted on Indy’s lone goal to help his side get back in the win column at Lucas Oil Stadium.

 

LOUISVILLE CITY FC (0) VS SAINT LOUIS FC (0)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville and Saint Louis settled for a scoreless draw in the Kings’ Cup Derby at Slugger Field. The visitors came close to opening the scoring just after the half-hour mark as Lewis Hilton saw his shot from the center of the box saved by Louisville goalkeeper Ben Lundt. Louisville’s Speedy Williams nearly broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time as his shot from the right side of the box was kept out by STLFC goalkeeper Jake Fenlason. Fenlason did well to keep his side in the contest as he denied Niall McCabe five minutes after the break and midfielder Magnus Rasmussen just after the hour mark to keep things scoreless. Louisville midfielder George Davis IV fired just high and wide with four minutes to go and Paris Gee forced Lundt into a lunging stop with two minutes to go as both sides searched for a winner. LouCity’s Luke Spencer nearly grabbed the game-winner late into stoppage time but the forward saw his shot cleared off the line by Matt Bahner as the regional rivals settled for a share of the spoils.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Jake Fenlason, Saint Louis FC – Fenlason produced a six-save shutout to help his side earn a point at rival Louisville City FC.

 

NORTH CAROLINA FC (0) VS BIRMINGHAM LEGION FC (0)

CARY, N.C. – North Carolina FC and Birmingham Legion FC settled for a share of the spoils in a scoreless draw at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. North Carolina had a pair of chances to open the scoring in the first half but Steven Miller’s shot from the left side of the six-yard box was stopped by Birmingham goalkeeper Trevor Spangenberg just after the half-hour mark and Ben Speas fired just over the target seven minutes later. Legion FC substitute J.J. Williams forced a save out of Alex Tambakis in the 68th minute and NCFC goalkeeper did very well five minutes later to not just stop Brian Wright’s effort but control the rebound. The visitors went down to 10 men in the second minute of second-half stoppage time as Zachary Herivaux picked up his second yellow card, but it was too late in the day for the home side to capitalize.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Dre Fortune, North Carolina FC – Fortune completed 87 percent of his passes, made two key passes and six recoveries as North Carolina earned a scoreless draw against Legion FC.

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