Sparks forward Giovanni Lopez splits a pair of Churchill County defenders before scoring a goal in a 4-1 win Friday at home. The Railroaders won their fifth straight the next day and are in second place with a record of 12-3-2.
Reno 1868 FC will play Real Monarchs SLC on Saturday in Utah in the opening round of the 2018 USL Cup Playoffs.
Kickoff for the Western Conference quarterfinal is set for 2 p.m. PT at Zions Bank Stadium.
Reno and the Monarchs both played to wins to close out the regular season and both finished in the Top 5 in the USL’s Western Conference.
The fifth-seeded 1868 FC squad is on a roll heading into Saturday’s contest at Zions Bank Stadium. Reno closed out the regular season on a seven-match unbeaten streak, most recently beating top-seeded Orange County SC.
The Monarchs are coming off a 1-0 win over Fresno FC, which solidified a home playoff match for the 2017 USL regular season champions.
Reno and the Monarchs met twice in 2018, splitting the series at one match a piece. Reno took a 3-0 win back on July 3 at Greater Nevada Field, the club’s first win all-time against the Monarchs.
Reno finished its USL regular season with a bang and a Top 5 finish following a 3-1 win over Orange County SC Saturday at Greater Nevada Field.
Reno’s night began with a bang as defender Brenton Griffiths headed in his first goal of the season off a Jerry van Ewijk corner in the 15th minute. Griffiths’ first goal came against his former club and gave Reno much needed momentum in its regular season finale.
Reno controlled possession and played tight on defense allowing for open play and plenty of chances on goal. Forward Antoine Hoppenot scored his fourth goal of the season off a deflected ball in the 41st minute to put Reno in control at halftime, up 2-0.
A tenacious Orange County SC squad came out firing in the second half and finally converted in the 58th minute. Leading scorer Thomas Enevoldsen scored his 20th goal of the season, ending the second ranked second in the USL for most goals.
Reno would respond to put the match away as forward Antoine Hoppenot completed his brace (two goals) in the 61st minute converting off a beautiful pass by defender Brent Richards.
Goalkeeper Matt Bersano continued his fantastic form in goal for the rest of the way ending the day with three saves. Bersano finished the regular season undefeated in 10 appearances.
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