PORTLAND, OR - (Saturday September 9, 2017)
–
Real Monarchs SLC (17-4-5, 56 points, 1
st
West/1
st
Overall)
remained at the top of the United Soccer League standings with a 0-0 draw at Portland Timbers 2 Saturday night to build on its first ever USL Playoff berth, clinched last weekend.
In a back-and-forth first half neither side could make the breakthrough to gain the upper hand in the match. Monarch’s MF
Daniel Haber
held the best chance of the first stanza but Timbers 2 goalkeeper Wade Hamilton stood strong to keep the game level.
The second half gave way to much of the same play with both sides getting equal shares of the chances and possession. GK
Connor Sparrow
earned his seventh clean sheet of 2017, making several key saves in the final minutes to preserve the draw, as the Monarchs defense stood strong throughout the entirety of the 90 minutes. DFs
Taylor Peay
and
James Moberg
keeping the relentless Portland attack at bay and forcing eight offside against Portland in the match.
UP NEXT:
The Monarchs will remain on the road, visiting Phoenix Rising next Saturday, September 16 (7:30 pm MST kickoff) for its second visit to Arizona in 2017. The Monarchs are 1-0-1 against Rising FC this season after winning the season’s home opener 2-0 before drawing 1-1 at Phoenix in late June.
KEY SAVES AND DEFENSIVE STOPS:
POR – Wade Hamilton, 32
nd
minute: A quick pass into the box found the feet of Monarchs midfielder Daniel Haber who’s touch created just enough space for Hamilton to close the space and deny the game’s first goal.
SLC – Connor Sparrow, 86
th
minute: A corner kick from Portland saw the ball skip through the box to the back post where Sparrow was forced into a double save to concede another corner kick.
NOTES:
- The Monarchs still have several goals within reach during the final seven games of the campaign, including clinching the No. 1 overall seed in the 2017 postseason, as well seeking to establish new USL records for wins (22), points (70) and goals (62).
- Real Monarchs remain atop of the USL standings and remain the first USL side to have booked their place into the postseason.
- Monarchs move to 6-3-4 on the road in 2017, having earned three shutouts in those 13 away matches.
- The Monarchs have outscored opponents 19-15 on the road this season.
Match:
Real Monarchs at Portland Timbers 2
Date:
September 9, 2017
Venue:
Providence Park; Portland, Oregon
Attendance:
5,309
Weather:
Cloudy and 64 degrees
Scoring Summary:
1 2 F
Real Monarchs 0 0 0
Portland Timbers 2 0 0 0
Lineups:
Real Monarchs (4-2-3-1): Connor Sparrow; Kyle Curinga, James Moberg, Taylor Peay, Max Lachowecki; Charlie Adams (
Diego Calvo, 76’)
, Nick Besler, Andrew Brody (
Sebastian Velasquez
,
58’
) Daniel Haber, Danny Cruz (
Chase Minter, 82’)
; Chandler Hoffman
Subs not used:
Andrew Putna, Karsten Hanlin, Justin Schmidt, Juan Mare
Portland Timbers 2: (4-4-2): Wade Hamilton; Harold Hanson, Bill Poni Tuiloma, Kyle Bjornethun, Lamar Batista; Renzo Zambrano, Russell Cicerone, Tomas Granitto (
Max Ornstill, 81’)
, Omar Mohamed; Augustine Williams, Giovanni Calixtro
Subs not used:
Kashope Oladapo, Michael Amick, Rennico Clarke, Shaquille Jimenéz, Terrell Lowe
Stats Summary: POR/SLC
Shots: 17 / 8
Shots on Goal: 6 / 3
Saves: 3 / 6
Corner Kicks: 7 / 6
Fouls: 17 / 21
Offside: 8 / 0
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
SLC – James Moberg (caution) 9’
POR – Harold Hanson (caution) 42’
SLC – Sebastian Velasquez (caution) 63’
POR – Kyle Bjornethun (caution) 67’
POR – Augustine Williams (caution) 71’
OFFICIALS:
Referee: Katja Koroleva
Assistant Referees: Seth Martin, Chad Stewart
4th Official: Jason Perlewitz
