PHOENIX, Arizona (Friday, July 19) – Phoenix Rising FC (6-7-6) downed El Paso Locomotive FC, 2-0, tonight on goals by JP Scearce and Pape Mar Boye.
Both goals were the first in a Rising uniform for Scearce and Mar Boye, who joined the defending USL Champions this past offseason.
Phoenix began the match on the front foot with Gabi Torres taking part in creating three chances for Rising in the opening 10 minutes of the match. He and Emil Cuello, who was making his first start since May 25, worked together to earn two free kicks and send in a pair of crosses from the left flank early, but no one was able to get on the end of the service initially.
Cuello earned another free kick for Rising in the 43rd minute. Renzo Zambrano sent in the ball from the left flank and found Scearce at the back post. The hometown kid opened his account for Phoenix, nodding home a shot from inside the six-yard box to give Rising a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
El Paso Locomotive goalkeeper Jahmali Waite made a brilliant save in the 70th minute to deny Charlie Dennis of his first assist in a Rising uniform. After tearing down the left flank, Dennis sent a pass to the back post. Edguardo Rito did well to redirect the shot on goal with his first touch, very close to the endline but Waite came across his line to make a save at full stretch to keep the game at 1-0.
Scearce nearly scored his second header of the match in the 77th minute, but once again Waite made an outstanding save to deny Phoenix, this time at the front post.
Roughly 10 minutes later Mar Boye stepped in front of an El Paso player to win the ball back near midfield. Dariusz Formella took the 50-50 ball from Mar Boye, drew a defender and found the defender with a return pass at the top of the box. Mar Boye side-stepped a defender and struck a low shot to the near post to make it a 2-0 final.
Scoring:
PHX – JP Scearce (Renzo Zambrano) 43
PHX – Pape Mar Boye (Dariusz Formella) 87
Discipline:
PHX – Alejandro Fuenmayor (caution) 28
PHX – JP Scearce (caution) 34
PHX – Patrick Rakovsky (caution) 74
ELP – Ricky Ruiz (caution) 80
ELP – Noah Dollenmayer (caution) 85
Lineups:
Phoenix Rising FC – Rocco Rios Novo, Laurence Wyke, Pape Mar Boye, Alejandro Fuenmayor (Charlie Dennis 53), JP Scearce, JC Azocar (Damien Barker John 84), Gabi Torres (Jose Andres Hernandez 69), Fede Varela (Gio Doratiotto 84), Dariusz Formella, Renzo Zambrano, Emil Cuello (Edguardo Rito 69).
Substitutes Not Used: Patrick Rakovsky, Jamison Ping, Zach Smuck, Braxton Montgomery.
El Paso – Jahmali Waite, Lucas Stauffer, Noah Dollenmayer, Ricky Ruiz, Petar Petrovic (Ricardo Zacarias 56), Yuma Monsalvez, Eric Calvillo, Joaquin Rivas, Mario Rodriguez (Miles Lyons 65), Roberto Coronado (Raul Vazquez 88), Amando Moreno.
Substitutes Not Used: Ramon Pasquel, Brandan Craig, Finnley O’Brien.
