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USL Sporting Kansas City II

Swope Park Rangers Suffer Defeat against Rio Grande Valley FC

May 21, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Sporting Kansas City II News Release


The Swope Park Rangers fell to a 4-1 defeat against Rio Grande Valley FC on Saturday night at the UTRGV Soccer and Track Complex in Edinburg, Texas. Two goals from Memo Rodriguez put the home side 2-0 up before Daniel Salloi netted his third goal of the season for SPR. After pushing hard for an equalizer in the second half, RGV struck twice late on through Rob Lovejoy and Emilio Garcia to make the final score 4-1.

The Rangers (3-4-1, 10 pts.) began the game well and created the first opening in the ninth minute. After patient build-up through the midfield, the ball was played through to Salloi whose shot was held by Calle Brown in the RGV goal.

Four minutes later, the Toros (4-2-2, 14 pts.) opened the scoring. Rodriguez received a pass from Jose Escalante on the right side of the area, and he finished across Zac Lubin to make the score 1-0. In the 26th minute, Rodriguez added his second from the other side of the box, this time off a feed from TJ Casner.

SPR found a route back into the game five minutes before the break. After neat play down the right between Jimmy Mulligan and Kris Tyrpak, the latter hit a low cross toward Salloi who controlled, set himself and rifled into the top corner with his left foot to make the score 2-1 and notch his team-leading third goal of the season.

The game opened up in the second half, with the Rangers pushing numbers forward in search of an equalizer and RGV hitting on the break. First, Lubin was forced into a save to deny Casner from close range before Tyrpak directed a Kevin Oliveira corner narrowly wide. In the 77th minute, Oliveira lined up a free kick from 25 yards out, but his curling effort flashed wide of a sprawling Brown and the RGV goal.

In a flurry of action in the final few minutes of the game, Amer Didic saw a header saved by Brown before Lubin was called into action to deny Lovejoy. The Houston Dynamo loanee Lovejoy was not to be denied much longer, as moments later he slid a low finish past Lubin off a Christian Lucatero pass to make the score 3-1.

Lubin was again forced into a save in stoppage time to make a reflex stop down low to prevent Ivan Magalhaes from getting on the scoresheet, but Emilio Garcia completed the victory for RGV moments later after another assist from Lucatero.

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