Sandy, Utah (Friday September 22, 2017) – Real Monarchs SLC (17-5-6, 57 points, 1st West/1st Overall) were held to a scoreless tie at home Friday night by Orange County SC, moving Head Coach Mark Briggs’ side to four consecutive games without a win, the first such streak in 2017 for the team. GK Connor Sparrow earned his seventh shutout of the year in the draw, needing to make only one save over the 90 minutes.
The match saw the Monarchs force Orange County SC goalkeeper and captain Charlie Lyon into action early and often, including twice in the first ten minutes, forcing him into a pair of sprawling saves on shots from MF Sebastian Velasquez. The best chance for the visitors came late in the second half as a headed chance at the back post was cleared by DF Max Lachowecki, who did well to clear the danger for a corner kick before an Orange County player could hammer home the go-ahead goal.
Both halves played out similarly with the Monarchs applying staunch pressure on the 11 Orange County players behind the ball throughout the match, but the team from Southern California kept the league’s frontrunners at bay to earn the draw on the road.
UP NEXT: The Monarchs will return to the road Wednesday, looking to improve upon a 6-4-4 away record in a midweek visit at Sacramento Republic FC (8:30 p.m. MT kickoff on www.RSL.com). The two sides have met once previously this season, with the Monarchs coming away with a 2-0 win courtesy of goals from Daniel Haber and Sebastian Velasquez in mid-May.
KEY SAVES AND DEFENSIVE STOPS:
OCSC – Charlie Lyon, 9th minute: A long-range blast from Monarchs midfielder Sebastian Velasquez looked destined for the top corner of the orange county net but Lyon parried away the shot.
NOTES:
- The Monarchs remain atop the USL, and can still harbor hopes of eclipsing the all-time points record (69) with 71 points still possible.
- Goalkeeper Connor Sparrow earned his seventh shutout of 2017 in the scoreless tie with Orange County.
Match: Real Monarchs vs Orange County SC
Date: September 22, 2017
Venue: Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah
Attendance: 1,772
Weather: Cloudy and 47 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
Real Monarchs 0 0 0
Orange County SC 0 0 0
Lineups:
Real Monarchs (4-2-3-1): Connor Sparrow; Taylor Peay, James Moberg, Emilio Orozco, Max Lachowecki; Nick Besler, Daniel Cruz, Diego Calvo (Charlie Adams, 62’), Sebastian Velasquez, Daniel Haber (Chase Minter, 78’); Juan Ignacio Mare (Chandler Hoffman, 61’)
Subs not used: Andrew Putna, Kyle Curinga, Andrew Brody, Skyler Milne
Orange County SC: Charlie Lyon; Oscar Sorto, Juan Pablo Ocegueda, Wuilito Fernandes, Walker Hume; Victor Pineda, Jerry van Ewijik, Frank Olijve, James Baxendale (Carlos Alavarez, 57’); Zachary Kobayashi (Rodrigo Pacheco, 57’), Irvin Parra (Gustavo Villalobos, 71’)
Subs not used: Casey Beyers, Jeanot Esua, Roy Meeus
Stats Summary: SLC/OCSC
Shots: 21 / 4
Shots on Goal: 7 / 1
Saves: 1 / 7
Corner Kicks: 11 / 2
Fouls: 10 / 13
Offside: 1/ 3
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
SLC – Taylor Peay (caution) 23’
SLC – Daniel Haber (caution) 45’+2’
OCSC – Carlos Alvarez (caution) 59’
OCSC – Oscar Sorto (caution) 88’
OFFICIALS:
Referee: Victor Rivas
Assistant Referees: TJ Zablocki, Kali Smith
4th Official: Daniel Spicer-Escalante
