Real Monarchs Victorious over LAFC2 2-0

September 24, 2024 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
Real Monarchs News Release

FULLERTON, Calif. – Real Monarchs (8-12-6, 34 pts, 11th West) defeated LAFC2 (12-8-6, 45 pts, 3rd West) in dominant fashion on the road, winning 2-0 to climb within just two point of a playoff spot with two regular season matches left to play.

It was a back-and-forth first 45 minutes for Real Monarchs and LAFC 2 under the lights at Titan Stadium in Southern California, each team manufacturing multiple one-on-one scoring chances in the beginning stages. Despite a five-shot first half for SLC, both squads headed to the locker rooms deadlocked at nil-nil. Head Coach Mark Lowry’s attack was led by 17-year-old Owen Anderson in the early going, the young attacking midfielder continuing his red-hot form with a team-high two shots in the first period of play. Also shining was another 17-year-old, Zavier Gozo, the dynamic winger collecting a key pass and and nearly scoring an individual goal that was only kept out by an impressive David Ochoa save. Team leader Keller Storlie was solid in his position at right back, playing both ends of the field effectively en route to 33 completed passes at a perfect 100% accuracy rate.

Coming out for the second 45, it wouldn’t take long for Monarchs to claim an advantage in enemy territory. Building a dangerous attack in the 56th minute, SLC won a corner kick when a failed clearance by LAFC2 was cleverly kept alive by Sebastian Joffre when he earned a foul in the box. Stepping up to take the responsibility for his team, Gozo was ice-cold, sending Ochoa the wrong direction with a perfectly-placed penalty kick into the right side netting. The goal was Gozo’s fourth of the 2024 campaign, tying him for the team lead alongside Anderson and Matthew Bell.

Then, pushing hard to capitalize on momentum and extend their advantage, Real Monarchs stretched the lead to a pair at the 70′ mark with a world-class goal from midfielder Griffin Dillon. Receiving the ball just outside of his own box, Dillon manufactured a one-man counter attack as he raced up the pitch and, just after crossing the halfway line, unleashed a beautiful long-range strike that soared over a helpless Ochoa and into the back of the net. Fighting to keep hold of all three points and come home with his second clean sheet of the year, SLC goalkeeper Will Mackay was rock-solid, adding to his already impressive evening of one-on-one stops with a 78′ full-extension diving save to deny LAFC2 a free kick…