Aztex Host Real Monarchs SLC in Saturday Showdown
May 8, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Austin Aztex News Release
AUSTIN, Texas (Friday, May 7, 2015) - After winning a mid-week friendly tilt against the All-Air Force men's soccer team, the Austin Aztex (3-3-1) will return to league play when they host the Real Monarchs SLC (1-4-2) at House Park on Saturday May 9th. Kick-off is set up for 8 p.m. CDT.
The match will be the first out of two contests that both teams will play against each other during the 2015 USL regular season. The Monarchs are operated by MLS squad Real Salt Lake, and the Aztex will look to get their first win of the season versus a squad owned by MLS competition. To date, the Aztex lost the Vancouver Whitecaps 2 and LA Galaxy II by a combined score of 4-1.
The Aztex will look to continue their climb on the Western Conference standings, where they currently sit at 4th place, and only three points behind leader Seattle Sounders II. Last week at home, the Aztex mounted a comeback but were unable to hold the lead when OKC Energy FC scored a late equalizer moments before the final whistle to seal the 2-2 tie.
The Monarchs will be highly motivated and confident as they are coming off their first win of the season, ousting the defending USL champions, Sacramento Republic FC by a score of 1-0. The Monarchs are currently in 10th place of the Western Conference with five points.
Aztex Head Coach Paul Dalglish has ties to the Real Salt Lake organization, as he served as Assistant Coach for MLS's Real Salt Lake under head coach Jeff Cassar during the 2014 season.
On the field, Dalglish has been moving his pieces around in order to maximize the team's potential. His strategy has paid off, with Austin focusing its offensive output through the boots of forward Kris Tyrpak. The local star ranks 5th in the league in shots taken with 16, and currently is one of the top-10 scorers in the league, registering a team-high three goals. With forward Sainey Touray out (knee), Tyrpak will share the attacking responsibilities with the likes of Brendan King, Drew Yates and Trevin Caesar. Together, the team has accumulated 67 shots over seven game, averaging almost 10 per game.
This offensive output is supported by a solid midfield play led by team captain Lance Roozeboom and Brazilian midfielder Guaraci. Their play in transition has been key for the attacking front in finding open spaces and creating chances, which will be especially important in a matchup against a Monarchs team that has allowed 11 goals in seven matches.
Defensively, the Aztex have meshed up well under the lead of Kyle Hoffer and Kalen Ryden, helping the Aztex rank 8th in the league with eight goals allowed in the season. Michael Ambrose has proved to be a versatile piece of the defense, providing strong defensive efforts and incorporating himself to the attack.
The Monarchs are a team that like to apply constant offensive pressure, which had led them to 10th in the league in shots attempts with 73 over seven matches, taking 31 corners in the process. The center piece of the attack is Max Rauhofer, who leads the team with goals, including the game winner against Sacramento. His performance led him to be selected to the USL Team of the Week. He also leads the team with 16 shots, five of them on goal. To his side, teammate Ricardo Velazco has 11 total shots, providing another threat that uses his quickness to find scoring opportunities. Midfielder Alec Sundly represents a boost that thrives on feeding the ball to the Monarch's frontline.
At goal, the Aztex continue to deliver a string of strong performances with goalkeeper Cody Laurendi, who will look to return to the Team of the Week form he showed after allowing two goals versus Energy FC. In Wednesday's midweek action versus All-Air Force, Laurendi and Devin Perales each helped shut out the opponent in their respective halves. On three starts, Laurendi has one shutout and 16 saves. On the other side, Lalo Hernandez will be guarding the posts. Hernandez has two shutouts and 14 saves, posting a .667 save percentage with four starts under his belt.
After this match, the Aztex will hit the road to visit Arizona United FC for their second meeting of the season. The match will take place on May 16, with kick-off scheduled for 9:30 CDT. Live updates for both matches will also be available on Twitter via @Aztex_Matchcast and will be available live on YouTube.
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