October 15, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Sacramento Republic FC News Release
Sacramento, Calif. – Republic FC’s closed out the 2022 regular season with a 4-0 win over San Diego Loyal SC. The victory secures fourth place in the Western Conference table and a home fixture in the opening round of the USL Championship Playoffs, presented by Hisense.
Republic FC jumped ahead early and never looked back, netting three in the opening 15 minutes against the SoCal side. Rodrigo Lopez got the party going just two minutes in, fielding an errant clearance from San Diego’s backline before threading it inside the left post for his second score in as many matches.
In the following moments, Keko and Matt LaGrassa each took advantage of opportunities to extend the club’s advantage. The Spaniard’s score was his fourth of the season, while LaGrassa’s was his second in league play. The three scores to start the match are the second-fastest trio of scores in club history, nearly matching three netted in the first nine minutes of the 2020 regular season finale against Portland Timbers 2.
Searching for a second as the first half continued, Lopez just missed the target with ten minutes to go in the first half. After winning possession in the midfield, Republic FC’s captain let loose a shot from distance that went just a hair high. Late in the second half after Lopez was lifted for Douglas Martinez, Sacramento pushed their advantage to four when Luther Archimede bagged his fifth of the season.
Alongside the early scoring onslaught, Republic FC’s backline returned to its dominant ways, recording the club’s 11th clean sheet. For the match, Sacramento held Landon Donovan’s men to just two shots on target.
Following 34 regular-season contests, Republic FC will embark on its eighth playoff run in nine seasons next week on Saturday, October 22 against New Mexico United at Heart Health Park at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for the Western Conference quarterfinal will go on sale 10:00 a.m. on Monday, October 17. For more information on the match, priority waitlist access and how to purchase tickets, fans can visit SacRepublicFC.com/playoffs.
Sacramento Republic FC 4 – 0 San Diego Loyal SC
USL Championship
Heart Health Park, Sacramento, California
October 15, 2022
Scoring Summary: SAC – Rodrigo Lopez 2′, Keko Gontan (Luis Felipe) 4′, Matt LaGrassa 15′, Luther Archimede 80′ SD – None
Misconduct Summary: SAC – Matt LaGrassa (caution) 31′ SD – Evan Conway (caution) 45′, Andrew Carleton…
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