skip navigation

Gameday Report: June 1, Week 13

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 06/01/19, 9:16PM EDT

Share

Reno proves too much in Silver State Cup; Eleven, Bold FC rally to victories

Reno 1868 FC swept to victory against Silver State Cup rival Las Vegas Lights FC, while the Tampa Bay Rowdies continued their undefeated start to the Championship season with victory against Birmingham Legion FC and Indy Eleven and Austin Bold FC posted big comeback victories against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and Tulsa Roughnecks FC in Saturday night’s USL Championship action.

 

SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC (2), SAN ANTONIO FC (1)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Republic FC handed San Antonio its sixth consecutive road defeat as it scored twice in the final 15 minutes at Papa Murphy’s Park. Sacramento got on the front foot early and almost took the lead in the ninth minute on a low shot that San Antonio goalkeeper Matt Cardone tipped wide of the right post, and Cardone had to be sharp again in the 16th minute when Ray Saari played in Bonomo for a shot to the right corner that SAFC’s shot-stopper was equal to. Sacramento’s Sam Werner also flashed a shot just over the crossbar in a positive opening 20 minutes for the hosts, and in the 26th minute Werner’s free kick from 30 yards forced Cardone into another big save at the right post. San Antonio’s Ever Guzman almost gave the visitors an ideal start to the second half with a curling finish from 20 yards that went just wide of the right post, while Werner fired wide in the 56th minute after Cardone had punched away a cross by Villyan Bijev to deny a chance to Bonomo. Bijev also went close for the hosts with a curling finish that lipped around the left post in the 64th minute, but Republic FC finally broke through in the 78th minute as Werner attempted to pick out Iwasa with a low cross that SAFC defender Josh Yaro turned into his own net as he tried to intercept. Werner doubled the lead five minutes later as he rifled a finish into the top-left corner of the net from the top of the penalty area, and while San Antonio pulled a goal back in the opening minute of stoppage time as Michael Lahoud drove home a finish from 20 yards into the right corner of the net it wasn’t enough for the visitors to find a way back as Republic FC took all three points.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Sam Werner, Sacramento Republic FC – Werner provided the cross that led to Sacramento’s opening goal and then capped the side’s victory with a tremendous finish late on.

 

RENO 1868 FC (4), LAS VEGAS LIGHTS FC (0)

RENO, Nev. – 1868 FC gained the upper hand on its rival Lights FC in the battle for the Silver State Cup as its three biggest attacking threats all found the net at Greater Nevada Field. Reno had the first real look at goal in the 10th minute when Raul Mendiola’s low shot from the top of the penalty area after a corner was turned wide by Lights FC goalkeeper Thomas Olsen. The hosts threatened more strongly two minutes later when Brian Brown’s low finish came back off the left post, while Sergio Rivas also flashed a shot just wide of the right post in the 18th minute as well. The pressure by 1868 FC told four minutes before halftime as Mendiola’s deep cross from the right to the back post found Brown, whose header back in front of goal was met by Corey Hertzog with a first-time finish. Reno’s Seth Casiple fired a good effort on goal in first-half stoppage time that was saved by Olsen, but 1868 FC doubled its lead three minutes after the break as Hertzog and Brown switched roles, the Jamaican international firing home a low finish to the left corner off Hertzog’s chipped cross into the penalty area. Preston Tabort Etaka almost pulled a goal back for Vegas immediately but his shot from the right was handled by Reno goalkeeper Matt Bersano, and Tabort Etaka threatened again in the 54th minute on a low shot that was tipped just wide of the left post. Hertzog almost bagged his second goal of the night for Reno on the hour-mark with a flicked header off a cross from the right by Mendiola that went just wide of the left post, but it took a crucial block by Zach Carroll to keep Reno ahead by a pair of goals in the 72nd minute that denied Las Vegas’ Pablo Cruz as he fired low to the left corner. The hosts put the game away with 11 minutes to go, however, as Mendiola struck against his former club with a low shot from 20 yards to the bottom right corner before Duke Lacroix added the final blow with an exquisite curling finish to the top-right corner with four minutes remaining to give Reno its second victory in the rivalry series.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Brian Brown, Reno 1868 FC – Brown set up Corey Hertzog’s opening goal and added a second of his own as well as hitting the post for the hosts in their emphatic victory.

 

TACOMA DEFIANCE (1), EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC (2)

TACOMA, Wash. – Jerome Kiesewetter again found the net as Locomotive FC remained undefeated on the road this season with a victory against the Defiance at Cheney Stadium. Locomotive FC had an early chance after a chipped free kick by Sebastian Contreras wasn’t handled cleanly by Defiance goalkeeper Bryan Meredith, but Meredith recovered in time to smother a shot by Nick Ross and keep the game scoreless. Tacoma’s first good chance arrived five minutes later but a brilliant goal-line clearance by Drew Beckie denied Azriel Gonzalez after his shot had beaten El Paso goalkeeper Logan Ketterer. El Paso’s Jerome Kiesewetter then went close after a deep corner from the right was headed back across goal by Andrew Fox, allowing the former United States forward to redirect an effort on goal that Meredith was able to save, but in the 31st minute Kiesewetter was in the right place at the right time to take advantage of a second chance off another corner kick. The Defiance hit back three minutes before halftime, however, as Justin Dhillon scored his fifth goal in the past five games as he cut inside from the left side of the penalty area and slotted home a finish to the far post. El Paso almost regained the advantage deep in first-half stoppage time as Ross was denied by Meredith, but in the 68th minute the visitors went back ahead as Calvin Rezende finished unmarked in the penalty area after a bouncing cross by Omar Salgado found him for a simple finish. El Paso had a late chance to add to its lead as Salgado played a chipped pass for Derek Gebhard that saw the substitute unable to finish under pressure from a defender, but that proved academic as Locomotive FC saw out the victory.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Omar Salgado, El Paso Locomotive FC – Salgado had a positive night all-around, setting up the second goal for Locomotive FC and recording two key passes and one shot. 

 

OKC ENERGY FC (0), LA GALAXY II (0)

OKLAHOMA CITY – Energy FC and Los Dos finished scoreless in what was despite that an entertaining contest at Taft Stadium. The first good chance of the game arrived in the 19th minute as LA’s Brian Iloski set up Frank Lopez in the right side of the penalty area but Lopez’s low shot went wide of the near post. OKC went close three minutes later when Deshorn Brown couldn’t quite make contact with a low cross by Omar Gordon that skipped through the Galaxy II’s six-yard area, and LA goalkeeper Eric Lopez made a crucial save just before the hour-mark after a free kick by Alexy Bosetti from the left pinballed in the penalty area before being directed on goal by Je-Vaughn Watson. Los Dos threatened again in the 66th minute when Kai Koreniuk found space in the left side of the penalty area and forced a good save by OKC goalkeeper Cody Laurendi, the rebound cleared by the Energy FC defense, and three minutes later Iloski fired a rasping shot that Laurendi had to go at full stretch to deny as it arrowed toward the top-left corner from 25 yards. Koreniuk again almost grabbed the lead on a volleyed finish that Laurendi kept out brilliantly as he moved across his goal following Jorge Hernandez’s cross from the left, and another Hernandez delivery almost set up Lopez for the winner in the 90th minute only for his header to go well wide of the left post. OKC had the last chance of the game as Brown sent a header high and wide of the left post in the second minute of stoppage time, but with neither side able to find the breakthrough the points were shared.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Brian Iloski, LA Galaxy II – Iloski did almost everything he could to earn Los Dos victory on the road with five key passes and two shots that forced big saves out of OKC goalkeeper Cody Laurendi.

 

ORANGE COUNTY SC (2), RIO GRANDE VALLEY FC (1)

IRVINE, Calif. – Orange County ended the game with nine men but withstood the Toros’ pressure to earn a valuable three points at Championship Soccer Stadium. RGVFC had a golden chance to take the lead in the fifth minute from the penalty spot but OCSC goalkeeper Patrick McLain went the right way to smother Ronaldo Pena’s shot to the right corner. The hosts took the lead five minutes later as Michael Seaton got on the end of a corner kick from the right by Aodhan Quinn and powered a header home, and Orange County doubled its lead just past the half-hour mark when Harry Forrester evaded his marker in midfield and then slid through a pass for Darwin Jones that he lifted past the goalkeeper from just inside the top of the penalty area. Robert Coronado pulled a goal back four minutes before halftime with a powerful shot from 25 yards that picked out the top-right corner of the net, and then went up a man as Quinn was sent off for Orange County in the 67th minute after receiving his second yellow card of the game. The Toros went close to an equalizer with six minutes to go when Jesus Enriquez’s headed finish was just turned wide by McLain after Michael Salazar had his initial chance blocked. Orange County was then reduced to nine men as Jones also received his second yellow card of the game in stoppage time, but when McLain made one final save to keep out a looping overhead kick by Enriquez it was enough for the hosts to preserve their victory.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Patrick McLain, Orange County SC – McLain recorded six saves, including a key early penalty kick stop, to keep nine-man Orange County on top for almost the duration of the contest.

 

BIRMINGHAM LEGION FC (0), TAMPA BAY ROWDIES (2)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Tampa Bay Rowdies’ undefeated start to the regular season continued as its struck twice in the first half against Legion FC at BBVA Compass Field. There were few early chances for either side, but the Rowdies took the lead in the 28th minute when Sebastian Guenzatti redirected home a low cross by Andrew Tinari from the right to the center of the penalty area into the left corner of the net. Birmingham almost responded nine minutes before halftime only for Rowdies goalkeeper John McCarthy to just keep out J.J. Williams’ header off a free kick, and that would become a theme for the night after Tampa Bay doubled its lead in the 44th minute when Tinari added a goal to his earlier assist with a first-time finish off a nifty layoff by Malik Johnson. McCarthy took over the second half, first saving from the penalty spot from Brian Wright five minutes after the break when Legion FC had a golden chance to cut into the deficit. McCarthy was then well positioned to save a header by Williams in the 66th minute and parried wide a low effort by Wright from just inside the penalty area eight minutes later. The Rowdies had chances of their own to add to the lead, a curling effort by David Najem in the 62nd minute was well kept out by Legion FC goalkeeper Matt Van Oekel, but Tampa Bay’s first-half goals proved enough as McCarthy registered his ninth shutout of the season.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

John McCarthy, Tampa Bay Rowdies – McCarthy recorded a four-save shutout that included a key penalty kick save early in the half that kept Legion FC from getting back into the game.

 

TULSA ROUGHNECKS FC (2), AUSTIN BOLD FC (3)

TULSA, Okla. – Kris Tyrpak scored a second-half hat trick as Bold FC rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Roughnecks at ONEOK Field. The Roughnecks struck first in the 16th minute when Cristian Altamirano latched onto a pass by Rodrigo da Costa into the right side of the penalty area and then fired home a finish from a narrow angle into the opposite corner of the net. Tulsa could have doubled its lead 10 minutes before halftime when Fredlin Mompremier burst in on goal but carried the ball too close to Bold FC goalkeeper Diego Restrepo, who turned his shot behind for a corner. Altamirano almost added his second of the night shortly after, but the hosts doubled their advantage three minutes after the break when Janu Silva seized on a deflection off an Austin player in midfield that set up perfectly for him to catch the Bold FC defense unawares and round Restrepo before finishing into the open net. Bold FC pulled a goal back in the 61st minute when Kris Trypak took an ambitious shot from the top-left corner of the penalty area that Roughnecks goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar was unable to handle as it just crossed the goal line, and seven minutes later Tyrpak scored his second in more conventional fashion as he stole in at the back post to volley home an angled cross from the right by Sean McFarlane that just tucked inside the left post. Tyrpak steered his chance at a hat trick wide of the right post in the 71st minute, but in the second minute of stoppage time he produced the winner for the visitors with a rasping low shot that found the bottom-left corner of the net.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Kris Trypak, Austin Bold FC – Tyrpak turned the game on its head when he came on in the 53rd minute with a hat trick that included the stoppage-time winner for the visitors.

 

COLORADO SPRINGS SWITCHBACKS FC (1), FRESNO FC (0)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Switchbacks captain Jordan Burt scored the only goal as his side broke a nine-game winless streak with victory against the Foxes at Weidner Field. After a slow opening to the game the hosts came to life in the 35th minute when a long-range strike by Jordan Schweitzer rang off the left post and away to safety. The Switchbacks’ Saeed Robinson then had a pair of chances in quick succession after a good ball over the top by Rony Argueta, only to see the first blocked and the second saved by Fresno goalkeeper C.J. Cochran, but in the final minute of the first half Colorado Springs took the lead as Burt headed home at the near post off a cross from the left by Ish Jome. The Foxes had difficulty putting attacking moves together in the first half, but had a chance ruled out after Arun Basuljevic collided with Switchbacks goalkeeper Andre Rawls as he went for the rebound after a header by Jaime Chavez 10 minutes after the break. The Switchbacks had chances to add to their lead, Kris Reaves’ volley from a corner kick by Jome and a breakaway chance that saw Robinson try a chipped finish were both comfortably dealt with by Cochran, but the additional goal proved unnecessary as Colorado Springs brought its length winless streak to an end.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Ish Jome, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC – Jome set up Jordan Burt’s game-winning goal, had two key passes overall and recorded four clearances defensively in the Switchbacks’ victory.

 

INDY ELEVEN (2), PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS SC (1)

INDIANAPOLIS – Indy scored twice in the final 20 minutes to rally to victory against the Hounds in front of 10,071 fans Frat Lucas Oil Stadium. The Hounds went ahead in the 15th minute when a clever chipped pass by Kenardo Forbes found Kevin Kerr in the left side of the penalty area, and the veteran midfielder controlled before sending a pass back to the top of the area that was fired home by Robbie Mertz for the first goal Indy had conceded on home turf this season. The Eleven almost equalized from a corner kick five minutes later as Hounds goalkeeper Austin Pack made a good save on Dane Kelly’s second-chance effort, while the Hounds threatened from a corner kick of their own on the half-hour mark when Steevan Dos Santos’ header went just wide of the right post. Indy’s Tyler Pasher flashed a shot just high of the crossbar four minutes before halftime, while Pittsburgh’s Christian Volesky had a low finish from the left side of the penalty area parried away by Indy goalkeeper Evan Newton, but the Hounds went to the break with the lead. Indy had another chance to equalize in the 65th minute when a mishit shot after a corner fell to Karl Ouimette, but Pack reacted quickly to come off his line and make the save before the Hounds defense cleared. There was little Pack could do with 19 minutes to go when Kenney Walker laced home a first-time finish from 20 yards into the top-left corner to level the score, and 10 minutes later the Eleven grabbed the lead when Pasher was slid into the left side of the penalty area by Thomas Enevoldsen and roofed his finish from a narrow angle. Pittsburgh was then reduced 10 men in stoppage time when Mark Forrest was sent off after a hard aerial challenge on Indy's Neveal Hackshaw, lessening the Hounds' chances to find a late equalizer.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Lucas Farias, Indy Eleven – Farias had a strong two-way performance for the Eleven, setting up Kenney Walker’s goal while winning four tackles and winning 7 of 10 duels in midfield.

 

louisville city fc (4), charleston battery (1)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – LouCity proved too much for the Battery, who were forced to play more than an hour with 10 men at Slugger Field. LouCity grabbed an early advantage when a low cross from the right by Niall McCabe was dummied at the near post by Lucky Mkosana leaving the chance for George Davis IV to put home a first-time finish in the third minute. Oscar Jimenez almost added to the host’s lead eight minutes later with a powerful shot that was turned away by Battery goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky, but in the 19th minute Charleston defender Kierron Mason had possession stolen from him by Mkosana in the penalty area and brought the Zimbabwe international down, resulting in a red card. Magnus Rasmussen stepped up to take the penalty kick and fired into the right corner past a diving Kuzminsky to double Louisville’s lead, and then almost made it three in the 38th minute when he shot just wide of the left post after a low pass into the penalty area by McCabe. Mkosana also forced a sharp save from Kuzminsky at his near post with a flicked near-post finish just before halftime, but the Battery hit back five minutes into the second half when Arthur Bosua headed home a corner kick from the right by Vincent Candela. The visitors were unable to get any closer, however, and with 16 minutes to go a driven cross by Rasmussen deflected off Battery midfielder Dante Marini and into the Charleston net to restore LouCity’s two-goal lead. Niall McCabe then wrapped the game up with three minutes to go as he curled home a beautifully taken free kick from 20 yards into the top-right corner of the net.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Niall McCabe, Louisville City FC – McCabe set up the opening goal of the game and then capped the display with a superlative free kick to give LouCity all three points.

 

HARTFORD ATHLETIC (1), NORTH CAROLINA FC (1)

HARTFORD, Conn. – Hartford scored the second-fastest goal in the Championship this season but were pegged back in the second half by NCFC at Rentschler Field. The Athletic took the lead after just 17 seconds – the fifth-fastest in the Championship’s history – as Jose Angulo got in behind the defense on the left and centered for Harry Swartz to tuck home from close range in the first attack of the game. Angulo also threatened with a shot that went just wide of the right post in the sixth minute, while NCFC goalkeeper Alex Tambakis had to make a big save on Hartford’s Wojciech Wojcik to keep the deficit at one four minutes later. North Carolina’s Sam Brotherton almost found the net with a header off a corner kick that went just high in the 14th minute, but Hartford had a second goal denied by a foul in the penalty area off a corner kick by Mads Jorgensen as the whistle blew just before Wojcik’s flicked header at the near post that found the net. North Carolina had a big chance to level early in the second half when Robbie Kristo shrugged off his defender as they challenged for a ball over the top only for Athletic goalkeeper Frederick Due to narrow the angle well and save, but in the 58th minute the visitors capitalized on a missed clearance that eventually fell to Chester Yamikani for a low finish to the left corner. After the equalizer, however, both defenses held sway, keeping the attacks at bay as honors ended even.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Jose Angulo, Hartford Athletic – Angulo set up the fastest goal in the Athletic’s young history and also battled well in leading the line for the side as it claimed a point on home turf.

 

 

SAINT LOUIS FC (P), MEMPHIS 901 FC (P)

FENTON, Mo. – Severe weather in the region caused Saturday night’s contest between Saint Louis FC and Memphis 901 FC to be postponed. A date for the game to be rescheduled will be announced at a future date.

Follow the USL Championship

Most Recent News

Most Read News

Latest Videos