Reserves Recap: RSL 2-1 Colorado Rapids

SANDY, Utah – The Real Salt Lake Reserves (2-0-0, 6 points) moved to 2-0-0 in the Reserve League season on Saturday night, when they downed the Colorado Rapids Reserves (0-1-0, 0 points) 2-1 at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Saturday’s Reserve League match kicked off minutes after the conclusion of RSL’s 1-1 MLS regular season draw against Colorado and drew a crowd of roughly 1,000 Claret-and-Cobalt faithful.

Real Salt Lake FW Devon Sandoval – who played 10 minutes in the first-team match on Saturday afternoon – scored RSL’s first goal, nabbing the ball from the feet of Colorado GK Steward Ceus at the top of the box and calmly slotting home into an empty net. Sandoval now has two goals on the Reserve League season after scoring the lone goal in the RSL Reserves 1-0 win at San Jose on March 4.

The Claret-and-Cobalt went down a man in the 59^th minute, when MF John Stertzer – who entered the match in the 45^th minute for injured DF Carlos Salcedo – was shown a suspect straight red card for a tackle on Colorado DF Davy Armstrong.  

RSL regular DF Nat Borchers subbed off in the 69^th minute. Saturday’s Reserve League match was Borchers’ first game action of 2013 – the veteran center back is still recovering from offseason surgery on his right quad. Borchers was replaced by RSL GK Lalo Fernandez, who played forward with the Claret-and-Cobalt bench very thin due to injuries.

RSL-Arizona Academy MF Coco Navarro put the Claret-and-Cobalt up 2-0 in the 84^th minute. FW Olmes Garcia started the play, picking up a ball at midfield and streaking down the center of the pitch before playing Navarro through on the right side. The 18-year-old Marquette University commit did the rest, dribbling into the right side of the area before firing his shot inside the far post.

Colorado MF Dillon Serna scored a screamer of a consolation goal in the 89^th minute, picking up a loose corner kick 25 yards out and rifling a shot into the top-right corner.

The RSL Reserves next play on Sunday, March 31, when they’ll take on the Seattle Sounders FC Reserves at 11:00 a.m. MT at America First Field in Sandy, Utah.

REAL SALT LAKE RESERVES 2–COLORADO RAPIDS RESERVES 1
SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013
RIO TINTO STADIUM
Goals by Period                    1          2          F

Real Salt Lake                          1          1          2                                            

Colorado Rapids                     0          1          1         

Scoring Summary:

RSL – Devon Sandoval – 35’

RSL – Coco Navarro – 84’

COL – Dillon Serna – 89’

Misconduct Summary:

COL – Nathan Sturgis (Foul) – 40’

RSL – Enzo Martinez (Foul) – 41’

RSL – John Stertzer (Straight Red Card; Foul) – 59’

RSL – Olmes Garcia (Foul) – 87’

Lineups:

Real Salt Lake (4-1-2-1-2) – Josh Saunders (Jeff Attinella, 46’); Carlos Salcedo (John Stertzer, 45’), Aaron Maund, Nat Borchers (Lalo Fernandez, 69’), Abdoulie Mansally; Yordany Alvarez; Enzo Martinez, Cole Grossman; Ned Grabavoy (Coco Navarro, 46’); Devon Sandoval, Joao Plata (Olmes Garcia, 46’)

Substitutes not used: Bryan Windsor

Academy Player; *Trialist