LAS VEGAS, Nevada (Saturday, March 19) – Phoenix Rising FC fell, 2-1, to Las Vegas tonight at Cashman Field.
Claudio Repetto scored the lone goal for Phoenix, which returns home next Saturday, March 26 (7:30 p.m.) to face San Diego Loyal at Wild Horse Pass.
Las Vegas took a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute of the match following a bad turnover at midfield. Cal Jennings latched onto the ball there and ran at the Rising back line before playing a ball into space for Daniel Trejo. Vegas’ No. 10 cracked a low and hard shot with his first touch, beating Phoenix goalkeeper Ben Lundt low to the back post to give the home side an early advantage.
Jennings nearly made it a two-goal lead in the 34th minute, when a ball played over the top sat up perfectly for the Las Vegas forward. Jennings hit the volley with his first touch, trying to beat Lundt to his left side but the goalkeeper made a kick save to keep Rising within a goal.
Lundt also made a diving stop to his right side in the 38th minute to deny Alvaro Quezada of a goal.
Santi Moar nearly tied the match less than a minute later, following a shot by Arturo Rodriguez from the right flank. Moar hit the rebound with his first touch and beat Las Vegas goalkeeper Tomas Romero, but a Vegas defender knocked the ball off the goal line to preserve the one-goal lead heading into halftime.
Las Vegas once again saved a goal off the line in the 59th minute. Claudio Repetto came up with the ball at the penalty spot for Rising. The forward tried to roll a shot towards the post to Romero
Aodhan Quinn struck the inside of the post on a free kick attempt in the 65th minute.
Jennings was stone-walled on a breakaway attempt but Lundt in the same minute, at the opposite end.
Lights FC took a 2-0 lead in the 68th minute when Trejo dribbled at the back line before knocking a short pass to Alvaro Quezada. The Vegas forward knifed through the back line and picked out the low corner of the net.
Rising made it 2-1 in the 77th minute when Joey Calistri picked off a Vegas goal kick and quickly centered a pass to Claudio Repetto. Phoenix’s striker turned a fired a pass under the arm of Romero to make it a one-goal game, but Rising would come no closer, falling, 2-1, in its first road trip of 2022.
Scoring:
LV – Daniel Trejo (Cal Jennings) 12
LV – Alvaro Quezada (Daniel Trejo) 68
PHX – Claudio Repetto (Joey Calistri) 77
Discipline:
LV – Cal Jennings (caution) 39
LV – Ima Almaguer (caution) 85
PHX – Joe Farrell (caution) 89
Lineups:
Phoenix Rising FC – Ben Lundt, Baboucarr Njie, Manuel Madrid (Ryan Flood 89), Joe Farrell, Darnell King, Kevon Lambert (Luis Seijas 59), Aodhan Quinn, Arturo Rodriguez, Santi Moar, Marcus Epps (Joey Calistri 65), Claudio Repetto.
Substitutes Not Used: Carlos Aguinano, Lalo Delgado.
Las Vegas Lights – Tomas Romero, Mohammed Traore, Tony Leone, Morten Bjorshol, Alex Lara, Daniel Crisostomo, Ima Almaguer (Roberto Molina 90+2), Alvaro Quezada, Danny Musovski (Dekel Keiman 80), Danny Trejo (Frank Daroma 72), Cal Jennings (Christian Torres 90+2). Substitutes not used: Abraham Romero, Julian Gaines, Christopher Jaime.
