Sandy • The Real Monarchs’ historic season ended in a shootout in the first round of the USL playoffs.
After a 1-1 draw at the end of regulation and two scoreless extra time periods, Sacramento Republic FC beat the Monarchs by scoring three straight penalty kicks and limiting the Monarchs to one make in four rounds of PKs.
Sacramento will advance to face the winner of Saturday’s match between the Swope Park Rangers and Phoenix Rising in the conference semifinals.
As a match between the Western Conference No. 1 seed and No. 8 seed, Friday’s game was not expexcted to be so close. The Real Monarchs clinched the USL regular season championship two weeks before playoffs began, while Sacramento limped into the last playoff spot with a 13-12-7 record. RSL had beaten Sacramento 2-0 in the teams’ previous two meetings.
The Monarchs needed a 86th-minute penalty kick to force the game into extra time. The penalty kick was set up by Monarchs defender Max Lachowecki drawing a foul in the box after pushing up on the attack. Sacramento midfielder Agustin Cazarez brought Lachowecki down, and Chandler Hoffman’s PK went straight into the right side of the net as Republic FC goalkeeper Evan Newton dove the other way.
Before Hoffman’s goal, Sacramento led 1-0 for nearly 40 minutes, after going up on a goal by midfielder Luis Espino in the 49th minute. Republic midfielder Villyan Bijev played a pass forward into the box and Wilson Kneeshaw lunged to keep the ball in play and sent it across the front of the goal, where Espino one-timed the cross into the top of the net.
The scoreless first half, which was characterized by just two shots on goal, provided some drama of its own.
The Monarchs missed on a chance in the 14th minute, as Hoffman got his head on a long ball into the box and put it across the net. Juan Mare was making a far post run and tried to hit it on the bounce, but the ball went off a defender and over the net.
Monarchs defender Taylor Peay then stopped a dangerous goal-scoring opportunity for Sacramento in the 34th minute. Bijev played a through ball to Kneeshaw, who took two touches in the box before Peay closed in and tackled the ball from Kneeshaw’s feet before he got a shot off.