HERRIMAN, Utah
(Wednesday, September 4, 2019) –
Real Monarchs SLC
(10-8-7, 37 points) split the points with Las Vegas Lights FC after a dramatic 2-2 draw in front of 1,471 fans on Wednesday night in Herriman.
MF
Jack Blake
earned a brace after equalizing from the spot in the first half then again just seconds before the final whistle. MF
Christian Calix
made his first appearance in the Starting XI for the Monarchs since his signing, playing 37 minutes in the draw.
Postgame quotes from SLC v LV.
The match kicked off quickly as Las Vegas Lights FC found an early goal at the 9
th
minute when Christian Torres took one touch to lift the ball over GK
Andrew Putna
, whose touch ultimately proved to not be enough as the ball found the back of the net. After some tense back and forth possession through the middle of the park, the Monarchs were given an opportunity in the 44th minute when the referee called for a handball in the box against Lights FC. Blake stepped up to spot and sent Lights FC goalkeeper Adam Hobbs the wrong way to smoothly equalize the scoring.
The Monarchs came out of the second half swinging, dominating the half through possession and control. FW
Douglas Martínez
earned a chance when he cut back to drop his defender and fired a shot that skimmed over the crossbar while MF
Maikel Chang
took an opportunity of his own with a strong touch to get around the defense and test Hobbs. Lights FC found another go-ahead goal on the break when Preston Etaka used his speed to get around the lone Monarchs defender and one-on-one with Putna to slip in the second goal. The dying moments were frantic as the Monarchs threw pressure in around goal with corner kicks and shots that were constantly denied. In the end, it was Blake who found the second equalizing goal and his brace moments before the final whistle to split the points at Zions Bank Stadium.
UP NEXT:
Real Monarchs SLC heads back to California where it will face LA Galaxy II. The match is scheduled for Saturday, September 7 where kickoff from Dignity Health Sports Park is set for 8:00 p.m. MT.
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN
LV: Christian Torres (Junior Sandoval), 9th minute:
Las Vegas found the net early through Torres when he got in behind the line to meet Sandoval’s forward pass. Torres took one touch to lift the ball over Andrew Putna who got a touch that ultimately wasn’t enough as the ball tucked away at the far corner.
SLC: Jack Blake (Penalty), 44th minute:
After a Las Vegas defender handled the ball within the penalty area, the referee rewarded Real Monarchs with a penalty kick. Blake stepped up to the spot and set the Las Vegas goalkeeper the wrong way to smoothly convert for the equalizer.
LV: Preston Etaka (Javan Torre), 81st minute:
Lights FC found itself a counter-attack using the speed of Etaka to slip past the lone Monarchs defender to get one-one-one with Putna. Etaka used the chance to slip the second Vegas goal in for the go-ahead.
SLC: Jack Blake (Kalen Ryden), 96th minute:
Blake found the key goal with his brace in the final moments of the match when the ball fell to the feet of Kalen Ryden. Ryden quickly sent the pass over to Blake who took one shot with the inside of his left foot through traffic to find the far post, finding the equalizer.
KEY SAVES AND DEFENSIVE STOPS
SLC: Andrew Putna, 14
th
minute: Las Vegas Lights FC found an opportunity to rifle in a shot on goal from distance shortly after taking the lead in the 9
th
minute. Putna answered the call, coming up big to deflect the shot back out and protect the early scoring.
LV: Gabe Robinson, 76
th
minute: MF Jack Blake found an opportunity to get to FW Douglas Martinez at the center of the penalty area and sent the cross in. Robinson was quick to recover and get in the way with a slide tackle to cut out the pass and prevent Martinez from getting a touch that was sure to be a goal.
NOTES:
- MF Cristian Calix made his first appearance on the Starting XI for the Monarchs, having come on as a substitution in three previous games since his signing.
- DF James Moberg (head concussion) and MF Ricardo Avila (ankle) were both out of action due to injury.
- FW Jack Blake scored his brace to secure a critical point at home for the Monarchs as it looks to finish strong in its final nine games of the season.
Match:
Real Monarchs SLC vs Las Vegas Lights FC
Date:
September 4, 2019
Venue:
Zions Bank Stadium; Herriman, Utah
Attendance:
1,471
Weather:
82 degrees and partly cloudy
Scoring Summary 1 2 F
Real Monarchs SLC 1 1 2
Las Vegas Lights FC 1 1 2
LV: Christian Torres (Junior Sandoval), 9’
SLC: Jack Blake (Penalty), 44’
LV: Preston Etaka (Javan Torre), 81’
SLC: Jack Blake (Kalen Ryden), 96’
Lineups:
Real Monarchs SLC (4-2-3-1): Andrew Putna; Erik Holt, Kalen Ryden, Noah Powder, Steve Jasso; Tate Schmitt, Justin Portillo, Maikel Chang, Jack Blake, Cristian Calix
(Luis Arriaga, 37’)
; Douglas Martinez
Subs not used: Evan Finney, Konrad Plewa, Kyle Coffee, Jordan Pena, Julian Vazquez, Damian German
Las Vegas Lights FC (4-2-3-1): Adam Hobbs; Bryan De La Fuente
(Irvin Parra, 68’)
, Kevin Garcia-Lopez, Gabe Robinson, Javan Torre; Pablo Cruz, Christian Torres, Ferrety Sousa
(Victor Rojas, 58’)
, Cristian Martinez
(Mobi Fehr, 46’)
, Junior Sandoval; Preston Etaka
Subs not used: Thomas Olsen, Jonathan Levin, Vinnie Vermeer, Santiago Echavarria
Stats Summary: SLC/LV
Shots: 19 / 8
Shots on Goal: 7 / 4
Saves: 2 / 5
Corner Kicks: 11 / 2
Fouls: 12 / 14
Offside: 2 / 1
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
LV – Ferrety Sousa (Caution) 15’
LV – Gabe Robinson (Caution) 31’
SLC – Erik Holt (Caution) 52’
SLC – Douglas Martinez (Caution) 96’
LV – Adam Hobbs (Caution) 97’
OFFICIALS:
Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr.
Assistant Referees: Jeremy Davis, Kali Smith
4th Official: Hamed Sadeghi
