The road hasn’t been kind to Sounders FC 2 so far this season. It returns home to the Northwest empty-handed, yet determined, after losing 3-0 to defending USL champion Sacramento Republic FC, a result the club is looking to move on from.
“We went in there with a game plan, but missing a couple guys then taking an early injury, we weren’t able to execute,” said S2 Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson. “At halftime we were able to tweak our strategy and thought we started out well in the second half, but their keeper came up with some big plays to halt our momentum.”
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Sacramento found the net first in the 19th minute after a foul gave 2014 USL MVP finalist Rodrigo Lopez a dangerous opportunity from outside the 18-yard box. His cross found a streaking unmarked Sacramento defender Nemanja Vukovic who headed his shot past S2 goalkeeper Charlie Lyon.
In the 27th minute, things got a bit heated as S2 earned a free kick at the other end. Pablo Rossi set the ball and passed it along to Andy Craven who was taken down in the box by Mickey Daly.
Although the play happened before the referee’s whistle, a skirmish in the box broke out after Giuliano Frano shoved down Daly, and both teams rushed to the spot of the incident. After players were separated, both Daly and Frano were shown yellow cards, which would haunt Frano in the second half.
Trailing 1-0 at the beginning of the second half, S2 had two early chances to equalize. Frano’s worked free to get a shot in the 50th minute, but Republic FC goalkeeper Patrick McLain, who was determined to keep a clean sheet, parried the ball away.
Two minutes later, Sam Garza would get another look, but his shot went right to McLain who was able to sent it behind the net for a corner.
Lopez, who assisted the first Republic FC goal, would get one of his own in the 62nd minute to make it 2-0 as a give-and-go play with Max Alvarez left him one-on-one with Lyon. Lopez, tied for the league lead in goals, methodically placed the ball to the far post for the goal.
Minutes later, Frano would earn his second yellow of the match resulting in a sending off in the 65th minute. The Canadian midfielder has started every game for S2 this season, but will miss the next match against Oklahoma City Energy FC this Friday.
“When you’re on the road, your chances are few and far between so you need to take them with quality,” said Hendrickson. “We weren’t able to do that, and after giving up the second goal and a red card, it was about finishing out the match.”
Adnan Gabeljic opened his account for Sacramento making it 3-0 in the 78th minute. With a man-advantage, Republic FC would continue to see chances as the game dwindled down, but Lyon stayed big between the sticks to stop the scoring.
It is the first time S2 has been shut out this season, and the team returns to Starfire Friday to right the ship. Undefeated at home, the Rave Green will face Oklahoma City Energy FC, a team they lost 2-1 to in Oklahoma on April 18. Tickets to see S2 defend its turf are available here.
