Phoenix Rising Wins 3-0 vs. LA on Military Appreciation Night

July 4, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release

Phoenix Rising FC midfielder Santi Moar (left) vs. LA Galaxy II
(Phoenix Rising FC)

Despite windy and rainy conditions, Rising set a new club attendance record with 8,815 fans at its new venue. Tate Schmitt, Solomon Asnate and Santi Moar provided the first fireworks of the weekend with a goal each before the night sky light up in honor of Independence Day.

The match began with Asante earning a corner kick for Rising in the 19th minute. Aodhan Quinn walked to the flag to put in a dangerous left-footed cross and with the wind whipping hard towards the South end, Quinn managed to bend a high cross into the gale. The ball dropped onto the left heel of Schmitt, who redirected a shot by the goalkeeper and into the back corner to make it 1-0.

In the 23rd minute, David Egbo found Asante in alone in the center of the area with a cross. Phoenix's No. 20 picked up his head and beat LA goalkeeper Justin vom Steeg to his right side but had his shot deflect off the outside of the bar

Just one minute into the second half, Rising took a 2-0 lead when Schmitt ripped a cross through the area. Asante brought down the pass perfect and was in on goal against vom Steeg. The goalkeeper came off his line to cut out the captain's angle, but Asante went to the end line and cut a low shot through the tiniest of windows to beat vom Steeg low to the back post.

Santi Moar made it 3-0 Rising in the 66th minute when he poked a loose ball beyond the last Galaxy II defender and was off to the races following a LA free kick. In alone against vom Steeg from 70 yards out, Moar had what seemed like minutes to size up the goalkeeper before choosing to chip a shot over the California native for his seventh of the season.

Scoring:

PHX -Tate Schmitt (Aodhan Quinn) 19

PHX - Solomon Asante (Tate Schmitt) 46

Discipline:

LA - Jesus Vázquez (caution) 58

PHX - Jon Bakero (caution) 90+2

Lineups:

Phoenix Rising FC - Andre Rawls, Tate Schmitt, James Musa, Tobi Adewole, Darnell King, Aodhan Quinn (Jon Bakero 82 ), Kevon Lambert (Ryan Flood 90+1), Arturo Rodriguez (Joey Calistri 90+1), Santi Moar (Ivan Gutierrez 67), David Egbo (Rufat Dadashov 82), Solomon Asante.

Substitutes Not Used: Ben Lundt, Prince Saydee.

LA Galaxy II - Justin vom Steeg, Owen Lamb, Josh Drack, Bawa, Jesus Vázquez (Felix Barajas 85), Carlos Harvey (Victor Valdez 82), Taylor Davila (Marcus Ferkranus 64), Daniel Aguirre, Preston Judd, Remi Cabral (Axel Picazo 45), Jorge Hernández.

Substitutes Not Used: Eric López.

Head coach Rick Schantz

General thoughts on the match...

We were good enough. We were a little sloppy in the first half. It was a 30 or 40 MPH head wind we were playing into and the guys adjusted very well. We had to play a lot on the ground. David Egbo was fantastic for us in the first half. I was upset with them because I didn't feel like they were working hard but they all said it was really hard running into the wind. They were exhausted.

I told them they had no choice but to start fast in the second half. You gotta love it when they do that.

On the changes the team made that worked well...

Our midfield had a lot more time than they thought. Once they started to use Kevon Lambert a little more in possession, we were good.

On Tate Schmitt...

Tate lifts weights more than anybody else on this team. He works so hard. He has such a good attitude about it. He has a great work ethic. He's having fun. That's important. We talk about enjoyment all the time.

Goalkeeper Andre Rawls

On the windy conditions...

The wind was kind of going all different directions then right after the ref blew the whistle it was blowing right in our faces. We had to adjust our game plan a little bit. The guys were there to support me and I just had to be ready. We were able to pick up the clean sheet, which is huge.

The rain made it fun. It brought back memories of playing as a kid. The field became a little more slick. Thankfully it didn't turn into a downpour.

On the goalkeeper rotation...

We have to bring 110% all the time. We've been rotating consistently throughout the season. It's good. Once you get a flow, you need to bring it the next day and the next game to keep your spot. If you're not, you need to work even harder to win your spot back.

Defender Tate Schmitt

On scoring in his second home game...

It was really great to get the six points in those two matches. I'm glad we keep finding ways to win games.

On his goal...

We've been working hard in training. Just getting guys in the right spots. Making sure guys are putting the ball in the right areas. With the tall and physical guys we have in the box, we're gonna find a few goals. We did a good job on those set pieces, making it challenging for the other team.

Phoenix Rising FC midfielder Santi Moar (left) vs. LA Galaxy II

United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 4, 2021

• Toros Fall to Rayados in Fourth of July Showdown - Rio Grande Valley FC Toros
• Real Monarchs Fall in Colorado Springs - Real Monarchs
• Caldwell, Tabort Etaka Power Athletic to 2-0 Victory - Hartford Athletic
• Loudoun United FC Lose 2-0 against Hartford Athletic at Home - Loudoun United FC
• LA Galaxy II Downed at Phoenix - LA Galaxy II
• Real Monarchs Visit Colorado Springs - Real Monarchs
• Phoenix Rising Wins 3-0 vs. LA on Military Appreciation Night - Phoenix Rising FC
• Defiance Falls 1-0 to Las Vegas Lights FC in Return to Sin City - Tacoma Defiance

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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