HERRIMAN, Utah (Sunday, April 14th, 2024) - Real Monarch (1-1-2, 5 points) took a loss against The Town FC (2-1-1 7pts) even as they dominated the field and created more scoring opportunities.
Through the first 20 minutes of play, Real Monarchs dominated the field in touches, possession and everything in between. They maintained pressure and enjoyed a large chunk of their possession in the opposing third. They found space in the dangerous areas of the field and had many opportunities to pull ahead, but couldn’t net an early goal.
This all changed in the 20th minute however, when The Town FC broke the stalemate in the 20th minute off of a throw-in to the penalty spot - coming directly after TTFC’s first dangerous situation of the game. Monarchs fouled at the top corner of the box, giving TTFC a free shot into the box. Connecting squarely with the woodwork and redirecting back into play, Monarchs were able to clear the ball out of play but the ensuing free throw would lead to their goal.
The goal itself came from another scramble in the box trying to clear the throw-in. Aaron Edwards had the mid-box throw-in and was therefore awarded the assist on the goal. Although Edwards was given the assist, Alejandro Cano was actually first to the ball and got a piece of it off the throw. He was able to head it to the far corner post where there was just enough open space to sneak through. Riley Lynch was unmanned in the area and able to find the ball at an odd angle to finish the play.
This TTFC play brought a firm divide in the first half for the Monarchs. After the goal, the Monarchs couldn’t seem to find their rhythm. They had much less possession and seemed to be less connected on the field. Their shots went wide and fouls were more abundant in their half. They weren’t able to take advantage of the space TTFC gave them and had overall less chances.
Coming into the second half, both teams brought the heat - TTFC trying to keep and further their lead as the Monarchs pushed for an equalizing goal. TTFC was more interconnected and able to keep up with the Monarchs. Possession was back-and-forth as the ball moved swiftly between boxes, each team creating threatening chances.
Monarchs had the first subs in the game in the 59th minute as Benjamin Redzic came on for Griffin Dillon and Sebastian Joffre came on for Ilijah Paul. This change sent a wave of energy through the Monarchs team, pushing the squad to establish dominance in possession and shots. The fresh legs put more pressure on Mikolaj Bieganski and company along the defensive line, forcing corners and fouls in and around the box.
In the back 20 minutes of this half, tensions rose for both teams. Back-to-back yellows in the 77th and 79th minute forced the players to calm down the game and focus on their footwork.
Tactically, the Monarch’s dominated the midfield. They connected passes through the center and out to the touchline, switching fields and opening up their opportunities.
In the final 10 minutes of play, Monarchs stayed almost exclusively in their final third. They desperately tried to find netting to no avail. Joffre had two great shots from the right post. The first being a tap around a defender and a great save from Bieganski. The second came in the final minute of the game with a header that looked to be going in but another great save from Bieganski sealed the shutout for TTFC.
Overall, Monarchs created better chances and more dangerous plays in areas of interest. They just weren’t able to pull off the win with great saves and shots going just wide of the net. TTFC played a good defensive game but got a good chance off of the throw-in to the penalty spot to pull ahead.
SLC 0 : 1 TTFC
GOAL-SCORING SUMMARY:
LINEUPS:
Salt Lake Monarchs(4-2-3-1): Zavier Gozo, Matthew Bell, Daron Iskenderian (Jude wellings, 78), Ilijah Paul (Sebastian Joffre, 60), Griffin Dillon (Beni Redzic, 60), Noel Caliskan, Tommy SIlva, Zack Farnsworth, Keller Storlie ©, Omar Alba, Gavin Beavers
Subs not used: Sean Petrie, Izzy Amparo, Bobby Pierre, Fernando Delgado
The Town FC (4-3-3): Eduardo Blancas Maravilla (Jullian Donnery, 85), Riley Lynch (Sean Bilter, 85), Aaron Edwards (Joel Garcia, 85), Beau Lerouox, Cruz Medina ©, Edwyn Mendoza (Alexander Chow, 12) , Jamar Antionne, Ricketts, Casey Collins Walls, Alejandro Cano, Oscan Verhoeven, Mikolaj Bieganski
Subs not used: Jermaine Spivey, Ricardo Ibarra, John Nicolson
Stats Summary: SLC / TTFC
Shots: 13/9
Shots on Goal: 5/2
Saves: 1/4
Corner Kicks: 5/4
Fouls: 14/11
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
SLC: Caliskan (Yellow, 8), Silva (Yellow, 33)
TTFC: Edwards (Yellow, 75), Donnery (Yellow, 91)
