Sandy, UT (Saturday, July 8, 2017) – Lightning delayed the Rio Tinto Stadium match in the 67th minute, but FW Chandler Hoffman had already shined with a goal and two assists during the first hour to lead Real Monarchs (14-2-1, 43 pts) to its second home win of the week with a 4-1 win against Seattle Sounders 2. The Monarchs are now 4-0-0 against Pacific Northwest foes this season.
The victory extended HC Mark Briggs’ and Co. home winning streak to 10, a mark that includes this season’s pristine 9-0-0 record.
Hoffman was the attacking standout, featuring in three of the four goals. In the 31st minute, the forward connected with RSL MF Sebastian Saucedo, making his first appearance for the USL side, on a combination that saw Saucedo slalom past a couple of defenders and finish into the side-netting past goalkeeper Sam Fowler.
Hoffman tallied his strike in the 40th minute. The Birmingham, Alabama native was positioned perfectly as a corner kick was re-directed on frame by RSL DF Reagan Dunk. Hoffman made no mistake in cleaning up from close range.
The capper came when Real was pressing for another before halftime. DF Max Lachowecki was pushing the line on the edge of the penalty area. Hoffman slipped the fullback in, and Lachowecki buried the opportunity with his left foot to open his Monarchs account, becoming the 15th different scorer for the highest-scoring USL side this season.
Saucedo doubled his tally with a deflected shot in the 73rd minute, becoming the ninth different player with multiple goals for the Monarchs.
Meanwhile, Hoffman’s dynamic performance added to his sparkling campaign. The UCLA grad now has 11 goals and five assists, good for the third-highest overall totals in each attacking category.
Defensively, GK Connor Sparrow had a relatively hectic-free match in net. Other than the goal scored on a long throw-in by Paul Rothrock, Sparrow denied Seattle’s only clear cut opportunity, Charles Renken’s deflected shot in the first half. Sparrow ended with 3 saves.
RSL men Saucedo, Dunk, and MF Ricardo Velazco suited up for the Monarchs for their 1st, 3rd and 4th USL appearances of the season, respectively.
The Monarchs Boss utilized all three changes. He opted for DF Taylor Peay in relief of Captain MF Nick Besler to open the second half, marking the only 45 minutes missed by Besler in the first 17 contests.
FW Skyler Milne replaced the dynamic Hoffman after 63 minutes, while MF Riggs Lennon replaced MF Chase Minter in the 77th minute.
UP NEXT: Real Monarchs will enjoy a break until Sat., July 22, when the USL’s Western Conference leaders will square off against second-place San Antonio FC (6:30 p.m. MT). The Claret-and-Cobalt USL side beat San Antonio 2-0 in the lone previous meeting on September 14, 2016 at Rio Tinto Stadium. Charlie Adams recorded a goal and assisted on Pedro Baez’s goal.
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN:
RM -- Sebastian Saucedo (Chandler Hoffman), 31st minute: Chandler Hoffman connected with Sebastian Saucedo for a one-two combination that brought the midfielder to the edge of the area. Saucedo feigned an attempt to work his way past the defender and sent his finish into the side-netting past Sam Fowler.
RM -- Chandler Hoffman (Reagan Dunk), 40th minute: On a corner kick from Sebastian Saucedo, Nick Besler glanced a header to the penalty spot, where Reagan Dunk re-directed it on frame. The ball fell to Chandler Hoffman, and the3 forward cleaned up from close range.
RM -- Max Lachowecki (Chandler Hoffman), 45+ minute: Chandler Hoffman spotted Max Lachowecki pushing the line on the edge of the penalty box and played him in. The defender made no mistake with his left foot.
RM -- Sebastian Saucedo, 73rd minute: Saucedo took on Christian Koontz at the edge of the penalty area and cut in. The Park City bred midfielder strike deflected off Riley Grant into the goal.
S2 -- Paul Rothrock (David Olsen), 77th minute: On a long thrown in, Paul Rothrock picked up the scraps left after a challenge on David Olsen near the six yard box. Rothrock finished from close range with his right foot.
KEY SAVES AND DEFENSIVE STOPS:
RM -- Connor Sparrow, 21st minute: Against the run of play, Charles Renken led the Sounders 2 charge into the Monarchs half. He took on Max Lachowecki and as he unleashed his shot, it took a deflection. Fortunately Connor Sparrow followed it the whole way to parry it out of danger.
S2 -- Sam Fowler, 45+ minute: Ricardo Velazco served in a perfect cross in front for Chandler Hoffman, but Sam Fowler denied the forward on the doorstep with a strong paw.
S2 -- Sam Fowler, 49th minute: Velazco found the ball in a pocket of space 30 yards from goal. His strike from distance was handled by Fowler without any trouble.
S2 -- Sam Fowler, 81st minute: The Monarchs worked the ball down the right side through clever combinations, but the Sounders Academy goalkeeper came up huge, gobbling up Rigg Lennon’s effort from the penalty spot.
RM -- Connor Sparrow, 86th minute: Dylan Teves went on a long run into the attacking third, where Max Lachowecki’s missed slide tackle opened up the space to take a shot on goal. Sparrow reacted well in diving to his right to keep it out of the net.
NOTES:
- The Claret-and-Cobalt USL side is now 3-2-1 all-time against Sounders 2.
- The Monarchs are now on a ten-game home win streak at Rio Tinto Stadium, dating back to last season, an active run which currently ranks third-best in the USL’s all-time record book. Real is a perfect 9-0-0 at home this season.
- RSL men Sebastian Saucedo, Ricardo Velazco, and Reagan Dunk suited up. Saucedo joins the list of Velazco, Dunk, Tony Beltran, Aaron Maund, Sunday Stephen, Omar Holness, Jose Hernandez, Jordan Allen, and Lalo Fernandez as first teamers to log minutes with the USL outfit.
- With Saucedo and Max Lachowecki’s goals, 15 different Monarchs have seen their name on the scoresheet.
- By entering the match in the 77th minute, Riggs Lennon made his debut wearing the Claret-and-Cobalt.
- By coming out after halftime for Taylor Peay, Nick Besler earned his first rest of the season. The Monarchs captain had featured in all 1,440 minutes of the season coming into Saturday’s match.
Match: Seattle Sounders FC 2 at Real Monarchs
Date: July 8, 2017
Venue: Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah
Attendance: 1,637
Weather: 97 degrees and Sunny
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
Real Monarchs 3 1 4
Seattle Sounders FC 2 0 1 1
Lineups:
Real Monarchs (4-2-3-1): Connor Sparrow; Max Lachowecki, James Moberg, Michael Gallagher, Reagan Dunk; Nick Besler (Taylor Peay 46’), Karsten Hanlin; Chase Minter (Riggs Lennon 77’), Sebastian Saucedo, Ricardo Velazco; Chandler Hoffman (Skyler Milne 63’)
Subs not used: Andrew Putna, Kyle Curinga, Andrew Brody, Daniel Haber
Seattle Sounders FC 2 (4-2-3-1): Sam Fowler; Lorenzo Ramos, Riley Grant, Khai Brisco, Riley Grant; Dylan Teves, Cameron Martin (Ethan Lotenero 63’); David Olsen, Charles Renken (Paul Rothrock 67’), Camilo Santiago (Kei Tomozawa 78’); Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez
Subs not used: Trey Muse, Jackson Ragen, Russell Barton
Stats Summary: RM / S2
Shots: 21 / 5
Shots on Goal: 9 / 4
Saves: 3 / 5
Corner Kicks: 6 / 1
Fouls: 5 / 9
Offside: 5 / 3
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
S2 -- Christian Koontz (Caution) - 15’
S2 -- Kei Tomozawa (Caution) - 79’
OFFICIALS:
Referee: Daniel Radford
Assistant Referees: Kali Smith, Kristi Mak
4th Official: Brad Jensen
VAR: Ramy Touchan
