Rising tops Swope Park to advance in playoffs
Jason Johnson, Chris Cortez, Kevon Lambert and Drogba scored for the Phoenix Rising FC in the team’s 4-2 victory over the Swope Park Rangers on Friday at Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex.
The Rising only controlled the ball for 30 percent of the game but Phoenix capitalized on its chances.
“They’re the best possession team in the league so we didn’t have to have the ball,” Rising coach Rick Schantz said. “We knew we could score goals and we did.”
Tyler Blackwood and Hadji Barry’s first-half goals were not enough for Swope Park to keep up with the Rising. Even though it was tied at 2 at halftime, the Rising capitalized on their chances in the second half.
“We know we’ll get goals,” Rising forward Chris Cortez said. “So it was a matter of just staying compact in the back and waiting for our chances and taking them.”
Only three minutes into the second half, Rising midfielder Kevon Lambert took a shot that bounced off a defender and then the top left part of the post and then landed in the bottom right part of the goal.
In the final minute when the Rangers were looking for a miracle comeback, Didier Drogba scored his second goal of the postseason to seal the Phoenix victory.
The Rising set an attendance record for the second game in a row with 7,707 fans. This breaks last week’s record attendance with 196 more fans. However, the crowd didn’t have the same energy as last week to start the game.
“I was a little frustrated the first 10 to 15 minutes. I don’t think the fans appreciated our tactics,” Rick Schantz said. “It was really boring and quiet. So I told the players, actually at halftime, I said, ‘Can you guys start raising your hands to get these people out of their seats?’ Because when they stand up and scream and yell the energy of our players is unbelievable.”
The crowd did erupt in the second half when the team scored and players got engaged.
“The fans were unbelievable,” Schantz said. “When we scored the place went nuts.”
The Rising’s next game will be against the winner of Saturday's match between Orange County and Reno.
The Rising would visit No. 2 seed Orange County on Nov. 3 or would host its third consecutive home playoff match in the Western Conference final on Nov. 2 if Reno pulls off an upset.
“We’ll be ready either way,” Rick Schantz said.
“We’ll enjoy this first before we worry about that.”