Monarchs Mount Second Half Comeback to Claim First Road Win of 2019 Season
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO. (Saturday, June 22, 2019) – Real Monarchs SLC (5-6-3, 18 points)earned its first road win of the season with a 2-1 scoreline on Saturday, as FW Kyle Coffee and MF Justin Portillo notched late goals for secure the win.
The contest got off to a quiet start, as the two teams fought for supremacy over one another. MF Maikel Chang got the first opportunity in the 8th minute as he was able to get latch on to a long ball over the top to get one-on-one against COS goalkeeper Andrew Rawls. The Monarchs held on to control throughout the rest of the first and MF Masta Kacher fired another chance for the Monarchs that rebounded off the crossbar to head into the break without either side finding the advantage.
In the second half, MF Josh Heard nearly got a chance of his own as he slipped through the gaps in the Switchbacks FC defense to get to another one-on-one opportunity, but Rawls once again answered by running out to cut out the attack early. Switchbacks FC striker Mike Seth found the first goal of the game as he made a turn in the middle of the box and took a shot that flew past GK Alex Horwath.
Coffee answered back in the 81st minute, however, as his shot deflected off a defender’s foot sending it up and over the Switchbacks FC goalkeeper for the equalizer. To end the night and steal the lead from Colorado late in the game, Portillo stepped up to take a freekick that he perfectly placed in the far top corner to give the Monarchs its first win on the road on the year.
UP NEXT: Real Monarchs SLC continues its road run as it heads out to Tulsa, Oklahoma to play Tulsa Roughnecks FC. The contest is set for next Saturday, June 29, where the evening kickoff from ONEOK Field is set for 6:30 p.m. MT.
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN
COS: Mike Seth (Jordan Schweitzer), 55th minute – Following a corner kick that missed its mark, Switchbacks FC collected the ball to Jordan Schweitzer who took it down the left side before sending it low into the middle of the box. Mike Seth was able to get to it and made the turn to take a shot that flew in just past GK Alex Horwath.
SLC: Kyle Coffee (Douglas Martinez), 81st minute – Real Monarchs found the equalizer when Douglas Martinez made a quick break down the pitch before sending it to the middle to meet Kyle Coffee. Coffee found his shot that bounced off a Switchbacks FC defender to help float it over the goalkeeper and into the net.
SLC: Justin Portillo, 86th minute – From a difficult angle out wide, Real Monarchs earned a freekick that Portillo stepped up to take. Portillo took the shot from distance that curved perfectly into the far top corner, just out of reach of Switchbacks FC goalkeeper Andrew Rawls to take the lead late in the game.
KEY SAVES AND DEFENSIVE STOPS
SLC: Alex Horwath, 39th minute: Switchbacks FC nearly found a goal towards the end of the first half as a long cross into the middle of the box nearly connected for a header. Horwath had the answer by taking a leap to snag the ball out of the air and protect the scoring going into the break.
NOTES:
- Real Monarchs picked up its first road win and its first back-to-back wins of the season.
- Real Monarchs SLC came out on top over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC for the first time since 2017, after falling to them twice in 2018.
- The win against Colorado Springs marks the Monarchs first win in the Four-Corners Cup as it earns a critical three points in the fan-created tournament.
Match: Real Monarchs SLC at Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Date: June 22, 2019
Venue: Weidner Field; Colorado Springs, Colorado
Attendance: 4,506
Weather: 54 degrees and mostly cloudy
Scoring Summary 1 2 F
Real Monarchs SLC 0 2 2
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 0 1 1
COS – Mike Seth (Jordan Schweitzer) 55’
SLC – Kyle Coffee (Douglas Martinez), 81’
SLC – Justin Portillo, 86’
Lineups:
Real Monarchs SLC (4-3-3): Alex Horwath; Noah Powder, Erik Holt, Konrad Plewa, Andrew Brody; Justin Portillo, Maikel Chang (Kyle Coffee, 20’), Ricardo Ávila (Pablo Ruiz, 76’); Douglas Martinez, Josh Heard (Lionel Abate Etoundi, 74’), Masta Kacher
Subs not used: Evan Finney, Kalen Ryden, Luis Palma, Damian German
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (4-4-2): Andre Rawls; Kristoffer Reaves, Ismaila Jome, Ibrahim Yaro (Kwasi Donsu, 89’), Abdul Rwatubyaye; Jordan Schweitzer, Saeed Robinson, Rony Argueta, Shane Malcolm; Mike Seth (Austin Dewing, 82’), Jordan Burt
Subs not used: Abraham Rodriguez, Matthew Hundley, Alexander Molano, Logan Dorsey, Sam Raben
Stats Summary: SLC/COS
Shots: 11 / 12
Shots on Goal: 4 / 2
Saves: 1 / 2
Corner Kicks: 4 / 8
Fouls: 13 / 11
Offside: 2 / 3
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
COS – Rony Argueta (Caution) 30’
SLC – Josh Heard (Caution) 36’
SLC – Ricardo Ávila (Caution) 48’
COS – Abdul Rwatubyaye (Caution) 61’
COS – Ismaila Jome (Caution) 65’
OFFICIALS:
Referee: Luis Guardia
Assistant Referees: Jacob Meyer, Luke Wakefield
4th Official: Robert Keiffer
