Real Monarchs SLC 0 at Reno 1868 FC 3
July 3, 2018; Reno, Nevada; Greater Nevada Field
Real Monarchs SLC (12-4-1, 37 points); Reno 1868 FC (8-3-7, 31 points)
Man of the Match: Returning between the pipes for the Monarchs was GK Jake Leeker who despite conceding three goals on the night, saved his third penalty kick of the season in the 80th minute. Leeker now leads the league in penalties saved this season, increasing the club’s impressive run of only conceding two penalties since the beginning of 2017.
Telling Stat: Five. Monarchs goalkeeper Jake Leeker made five total saves in the match, including his penalty kick stop to deny Brian Brown a hat trick to limit the damage for the Monarchs in the biggest little city.
What You Missed: The Monarchs have now only conceded two penalty kick goals since the beginning of the 2017 season having saved or deterred 11 of 13 attempts from opponents in that span. This season, the Monarchs have only conceded one penalty kick goal in four attempts from opponents.
So What: After falling to Reno on a night where not many things went the way of the Monarchs, the club remains atop the Western Conference standings by a two point margin through 17 matches this season. Having only lost four matches in the opening half of the season and Saturday’s opponents – Sacramento Republic FC – looking to close the points gap with the Monarchs, this weekend’s match at Papa Murphy’s Park becomes all that more intriguing. Kick off for one of the weekend’s most high profile matches from Sacramento is set for 9:00 p.m. MT and can be seen live on ESPN+.
