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Real Salt Lake Beats FC Tucson 3-1 in Desert Diamond Cup Play

February 26, 2014 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


TUCSON (Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014) - Real Salt Lake closed Desert Diamond Cup group play in style on Wednesday night, getting a pair of goals from FW Alvaro Saborio and a tally from DF Aaron Maund to beat USL-Premier Development League side FC Tucson 3-1 at Kino Sports Complex.

Real Salt Lake will play its final Desert Diamond Cup match on Saturday, when it will take on MLS Western Conference foe Chivas USA at 1:00 p.m. MT. Saturday's match will be streamed live on www.RealSaltLake.com and www.MLSsoccer.com.

RSL scored all three of its goals in the first half. Saborio opened the scoring in the 24th minute, slotting home a Maund cross to put the Claret-and-Cobalt on top. Maund made it 2-0 in the 44th, when he headed home a MF Luke Mulholland cross. Saborio scored RSL's third just a minute later, flicking home a Mulholland free kick to extend RSL's lead to 3-0. FC Tucson pulled one back in the second half, with FW Dan Antoniuk heading home in the 59th minute to make it 3-1.

RSL nearly went ahead in the 12th minute, but was denied by a fine double save from Tucson GK Michael D'Arrigo. Saborio had the first look, taking a DF Abdoulie Mansally cross down with his chest and rifling a 15-yard shot on frame from the left side of the box. D'Arrigo parried the blast away, and RSL MF Jordan Allen collected, hitting a 10-yard effort on goal that D'Arrigo again saved nicely.

D'Arrigo made another big stop in the 14th minute, fully extending to push RSL FW Olmes Garcia's headed effort around the post and out for a corner.

Saborio put RSL ahead in the 24th. Maund hit a low cross in from the right side following a corner kick, with DF Chris Schuler dummying the ball in the box before Saborio ran onto it and smashed a 10-yard right-footer into the bottom-right corner.

Maund doubled RSL's lead in the 44th. Mulholland whipped in a free kick from the right side, with Maund rising over the FC Tucson defense at the top of the six-yard box and heading home inside the right post.

Saborio made it 3-0 scarcely a minute later. Mulholland again assisted, driving a 35-yard free kick toward goal. Saborio - who had his back to goal - got a touch to it at the top of the box, redirecting Mulholland's effort with a marvelous flicked header that snuck past the wrong-footed D'Arrigo and inside the right post.

Real Salt Lake Head Coach Jeff Cassar made six changes in the second half, inserting DF Ryan Neil at the break and giving time to DF Kwame Watson-Siriboe, FW Benji Lopez, MF Joey Dillon, RSL-Arizona Academy DF/MF Justen Glad and guest player Dylan Mares.

FC Tucson got on the scoreboard in the 59th minute. Substitute MF Saeed Robinson created the chance, breaking down the right wing and curling a cross into the area. Antoniuk made a late run into the box, arriving at the top of the six just in time to head home inside the left post.

Both sides had a couple of good looks at goal in the remaining 30 minutes, with Saborio nearly completing his hat trick in the 84th, when he collected a Justen Glad pass just inside the area before hitting a shot wide of the target.

Real Salt Lake will return to action on Saturday, taking on Chivas USA at 1:00 p.m. MT in its final match of the Desert Diamond Cup and of the 2014 preseason. Saturday's game will be streamed live on www.RealSaltLake.com and www.MLSsoccer.com. RSL will return to Utah on Sunday, where the team will begin preparing for its March 8 MLS regular season opener at LA Galaxy.

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