Phoenix Rising Ties USL Championship Record for Wins with Wild 5-3 Victory over Portland
October 6, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release
Phoenix Rising FC finished its final road match of 2019 with a memorable 5-3 win over Portland Timbers 2. Jose Aguinaga led the team with a goal and two assists and Ben Spencer notched a brace in the winning effort. Junior Flemmings also helped set a new USL Championship record when he notched his 15th goal of the season, making him, Solomon Asante, and Adam Jahn the first trio of teammates to score 15 goals each in a single season.
WHAT TO KNOW
Phoenix Rising's finishes 2019 with a road record of 11-3-3.
Solomon Asante, Junior Flemmings, and Adam Jahn became the first trio of teammates in USL Championship history to score 15 goals each in a single season.
Phoenix Rising's 23rd win matches the USL Championship record for most wins in a season.
Kevon Lambert put the club on the scoresheet early, notching a goal in the fourth minute off a cross from Kyle Bjornethun. While Portland's Gio Calixtro equalized in the 24th minute, Rising FC went back into the lead in the 35th minute when Asante found Spencer with a centering pass through traffic and Spencer found the back of the net. The assist was Asante's 16th of the season, matching the USL Championship single-season record.
Phoenix Rising piled on to start the second half. Flemmings, led in behind the defense by an Aguinaga pass, beat the goalkeeper to the far left side of the net to make it 3-1. Then in the 70th minute, four minutes after Portland went down a man, Rising FC appeared to put the match away when Spencer scored his second goal of the night thanks to a second Aguinaga assist.
Then things got weird.
Just three minutes after the Spencer goal, T2's Brayan Hurtado pulled his team back to within two goals. Three minutes after the Hurtado goal, Phoenix Rising's Austin Ledbetter scored an own goal to cut the team's lead to just one.
Despite the pressure and dwindling lead, Aguinaga helped Phoenix Rising put the match away for good when he found the back of the net in the 88th minute.
Phoenix Rising will return home to Casino Arizona Field on Saturday, October 12th, to face Real Monarchs SLC. The first 2,000 fans will receive a pink Breast Cancer Awareness Phoenix Rising t-shirt courtesy of Simon Med Imaging. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the match kicks off at 7:30 p.m.
PORTLAND TIMBERS 2 3-5 PHOENIX RISING FC
Scoring Summary:
PHX: 4', 27-Kevon Lambert (32-Kyle Bjornethun)
POR: 24', 91-Gio Calixtro
PHX: 35', 22-Ben SPencer (20-Solomon Asante)
PHX: 54', 7-Junior Flemmings (19-Jose Aguinaga)
PHX: 70', 22-Ben Spencer (19-Jose Aguinaga)
POR: 73', 99-Bryayan Hurtado (66-Carlos Anguiano)
POR: 76', 16 Austin Ledbetter (own goal)
PHX: 88', 19-Jose Aguinaga (21-Joey Calistri)
Disciplinary Summary:
POR: 31', 80-Cristian Ojeda (caution)
POR: 31', 66-Carlos Anguiano (caution)
PHX: 38', 27-Kevon Lambert (caution)
POR: 45+', 87-Adrian Diz (caution)
POR: 66', 87-Adrian Diz (ejection)
PHX: 82', 2-Dopueugui Mala (caution)
POR: 86', 48-Max Ornstil (caution)
POR: 86', 77-Todd Wharton (caution)
Starting XI: 1-Carl Woszczynski; 32-Kyle Bjornethun, 2-Doueugui Mala, 15-Joey Farrell, 16-Austin Ledbetter; 27-Kevon Lambert, 21-Joey Calistri, 19-José Aguinaga; 7-Junior Flemmings (71', 13-Amadou Dia), 22-Ben Spencer (83', 24-Mustapha Dumbuya), 20-Solomon Asante (72', 10-Jon Bakero)
Subs not used: 28-Zac Lubin, 3-A.J. Cochran, 8-Corey Whelan, 41-James Musa
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