Chris Cortez continues his hunt for the Golden Boot as he tallys another against S2 (Aaron Blau/Firebird Soccer)
A halftime adjustment and Chris Cortez chip in the 56th minute propelled Phoenix Rising in front of a team record 7,381 fans to a 1-0 win over Seattle Sounders 2.
The match opened with a dismal first half from both teams, with a total of 5 shots, 0 on target combined that offered little in highlight moments. A halftime adjustment was made, packing the midfield a little tighter and attempting to break the Seattle defense with more incisive passes. It almost paid off immediately, when on the second half kickoff Jason Johnson received a long ball at the penalty spot but his toe poke missed high. 10 minutes later it was another long ball, this time from James Musa, that Cortez attempted to win. Both he and the defender missed the ball but Cortez’s momentum carried him back towards the ball all alone. Seattle’s keeper left his line and Cortez sent a chip over his head to break the tie. With the lead, Phoenix was able to control the rest of the match with few worries and even had a chance to add an insurance goal in extra time but a Kevaughn Frater 1-v-1 was blacked by the oncoming keeper.
The win moved Phoenix (11-5-4, 38 points) up to second place in the USL Western Conference, three points behind next week’s opponent Real Monarch SLC.
“It’s the biggest. We talked about it all week, I didn’t care how we got the three points but there was no other result I would accept. I don’t think we performed particularly well, but championship teams don’t play well and win 1-0, that’s going to be the key point after this game.”– Rick Schantz, on how the team responded after last week’s loss
Scoring Summary
56’- PHX, Chris Cortez (Assist, James Musa)
Phoenix Rising XI: Woz Dia, Farrell, Da Fonte, Wakasa, Musa, Asante, Awako (Waldrep 68), Johnson, Cortez (Dubose 89), Forbes (Frater 62)
Seattle Sounders 2: Brown, Ulysse, Miglietti, Ele, Usman, Burke-Gilroy, Daley, Roldan (Martin 61), Hopeau (Hinds 83), Wingo (Gonzalez 45), Estrada
