HERRIMAN, Utah (Wednesday, June 12 2024) - Real Monarchs (3-7-1, 11pts, 11th in West) beat Sporting Kansas City 2 in a heated 5-1 game.
Despite the heat the Real Monarchs came into the game cool and collected. They held the ball and managed to keep possession through most of the first half. The back line was a crucial piece to this strategy in order to provide a safer option when the midfield became too crowded.
Beni Redzic was first to put points on the board with an impressive shot in the 23rd minute. A bouncing ball was won by Noel Caliskan in the midfield and directly deposited to Redzic who waited alone near the corner of the box. He managed to take a controlling touch before ripping it across the field and into the back of the net. This ball was perfectly placed in the far top corner with no chance for Kortkamp to get a glove on it.
To round out the half, the Monarchs bombarded SKC, creating dangerous situations. SKC managed to hold down their net until the whistle blew for halftime.
To begin the second half SKC came onto the field with renewed energy. They pressed harder and had more possession to show for it. The Monarchs were not deterred however and found their insurance goal in the 67th minute.
The play began on the touchline with Griffon Dillon scrambling for the ball with two SKC defenders. Neither could manage to keep it away from Dillon and he popped it out to Sebastian Joffre on the run. Joffre took off towards the net with no one in front of him but Kortkamp. Once Joffre was just inside the box, he gave a low and hard hit to the near post to put his team up by another point.
In a back-to-back fashion, Ilijah Paul managed a very similar goal in the 69th minute. Daron Iskendarian won the 50/50 ball in the midfield and played a through ball to Paul as he ran across the SKC defense. Once he was in the box without a defender in sight he punched it low and hard to the near post right under Kortkamp’s glove.
Sporting Kansas City brought back some of their own fire power in the 80th minute in an attempt to chase the Monarch’s three-goal-lead. Keller Storlie laid it off to his goalkeeper Fernando Delgado with an oncoming Ian James who cut off Delgado’s options. He tried to play it to Caliskan but couldn’t find the right angle. The ball went directly to Ethan Bryant who was waiting at the top of the box and found netting on an open goal.
Another goal came for the Monarchs shortly after in the 83rd minute from Paul. Monarchs settled it down after the miscommunication from their defense and began to play with patience once again. After connecting through the middle a long ball found Tommy Silva on the far touchline. His defender was quickly shaken with two steps towards the goal line which allowed Caliskan to cross the ball into Paul on the run. Once again, Paul put it low and hard into the back of the net for Monarch’s 4th goal on the night.
The final goal for Monarchs came in the last few minutes of play with an own goal from Demarre Montoute. Luca Moisa drove the ball up the midfield to the top of the box where he was met with a defender and sent it to Owen Anderson in the corner. Anderson took a touch and sent it into the near post threatening Kortkamp to make a big save. Montoute slid in to try and help out his goaltender but ended up deflecting the ball into his own near post.
SLC 5 : 1 SKC2
GOAL-SCORING SUMMARY:
SLC: Beni Redzic 24th minute (unassisted): Driving up the field Matthew Bell found space near the edge of the box to fire a shot. Targeting the near post Bell fired, Jack Kortkamp got a save pushing the ball back out to the 18 where Beni Redzic took a touch to control then attacked. Taking a SKC deflection Redzic’s shot chipped Kortkamp dipping into the far post side netting.
SLC: Sebastian Joffre 67th minute (Griffin Dillon): Building in the midfield Sebastian Joffre dished the ball to Griffin Dillon then overlapped his defender making a run towards goal. Dillon finds Joffre with a through ball passing through two SKC defenders leaving Joffre in a 1v1 with Jack Kortkamp. Driving to the six, Joffre placed a ball near post past Kortkamp for the Monarchs second of the match.
SLC: Ilijah Paul 70th minute (Daron Iskenderian): Daron Iskendarian finds Ilijah Paul with a through ball past the SKC defensive line. With no one but the keeper to beat Paul fires a shot to the near post for his first of the night.
SKC: Ethan Bryant 81st minute (unassisted): The Real Monarchs played back to goalkeeper Fernando Delgado off of a throw-in. Cutting inside with the ball Delgado tried to play up the middle but misplaced his pass. SKC’s Ethan Bryant was the first to the free ball, firing a shot first time towards the near post beyond Delgado’s outstretched hands.
SLC: Ilijah Paul 83th minute (Tommy Silva): Counter attacking a SKC attack, wingback Tommy Silva played a ball across the six to a wide open Ilijah paul who got a foot on the ball for an easy tap in.
SLC: Demarre Montoute 87th minute (OG): In transition the Monarchs played the ball out wide to Owen Anderson. Nearing the end line, Anderson played a low cross into the six where Demarre Montoute came sliding in deflecting the cross into his own net.
LINEUPS:
Real Monarchs (4-4-2): Fernando Delgado; Omar Alba, Keller Storlie ©, Zack Farnsworth, Tommy Silva; Damien Barker John (Sebastian Joffre, 60), Griffin Dillon (Luca Moisa,79) , Noel Caliskan, Daron Iskendarian (Omar Marquez, 79); Beni Redzic (Owen Anderson, 70), Matt Bell (Ilijah Paul, 60)
Subs not used: Bobby Pierre, Jude Wellings, Bennet Ewing, Sean Petrie
Sporting Kansas City 2 (4-3-3): Jack Kortkamp; Alex Cunningham, Demarre Montoute, Leo Christiano, Jonathan Robinson; Johann Ortiz (Kamron Habibullah, 46), Ethan Bryant ©, Jacob Swallen (Macielo Tschantret, 27); Maouluone Goumballe, Pau Vidal (Ian James, 74), Medgy Alexandre (Nicholas Hategan, 46)
Subs not used: Nathael Clarke, Carlito Saylon, Sebastian Cruz, Haris Alisah, Mason Visconti
Stats Summary: SLC / SKC
Shots: 25 / 8
Shots on Goal: 11 / 2
Saves: 1 / 7
Corner Kicks: 9 / 4
Fouls: 9 / 10
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
SLC: Daron Iskendarian (Yellow Card, 75)
SKC: Jonathon Robinson (Yellow Card, 40), Leo Christiano (Yellow Card, 56), Demarre Montoute (Yellow Card, 66)
