The Swope Park Rangers played to a 1-1 draw with San Antonio FC on Saturday night to preserve the club’s unbeaten start to the season. Daniel Salloi scored in just the second minute to put the Rangers in front before Danny Garcia equalized for San Antonio in what was their first-ever home game at Toyota Field.
The Rangers (2-0-1, 7 pts.) started brightly and earned two corners in the early stages, the second of which led to the opening goal. Tomas Granitto swung in the corner and two SAFC (1-0-1, 4 pts.) players made a hash of their clearance before the ball fell to Salloi who took his time before firing past Josh Ford in the San Antonio goal for his team-leading second strike of the season.
San Antonio, buoyed by a record-setting crowd of 8,466, took control of the game and began threatening the SPR goal as the first half wore on. Garcia, Rafael Castillo, Jason Johnson and Stephen McCarthy each saw efforts either just miss the target or saved by Rangers goalkeeper Jon Kempin, who ended the game with a season-high six saves.
In the 42nd minute, the Rangers resistance was broken when Carlos Alvarez flicked a ball through to Garcia who was racing in on goal, and the winger lifted his finish over Kempin to make the score 1-1. Granitto almost provided the Rangers with an immediate riposte, but his rising strike went just over the bar as the two sides went into halftime with the score tied.
San Antonio had the better chances in the second half, but were denied continually by a resolute SPR defense and goalkeeper Kempin – who made four of his six saves in the second period. The game saw two players make debuts for the club, with Will Little, who was celebrating his 18th birthday, and Johnny Grant each making appearances off the bench in the second half as the Rangers battled to a 1-1 draw.
Man of the Match presented by Courtyard Overland Park Metcalf:
- Tommy Meyer – A steady presence in the Swope Park Rangers backline, leading the team to a point on the road in a difficult matchup with experienced and strong defensive work.
Next Match
- The Swope Park Rangers head into a bye next weekend, with the club facing the University of Tulsa in a scrimmage at Swope Soccer Village on Saturday, April 16 at 4 p.m. CT. The Rangers’ next USL matchup is on Saturday, April 23 when the club heads to Oklahoma to take on OKC Energy FC at Taft Stadium. That game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT and will be live streamed on SportingKC.com.
Swope Park Rangers vs. San Antonio FC
April 9, 2016 – Toyota Field (San Antonio, Texas)
Swope Park Rangers 1, San Antonio FC 1
Scoring Summary:
SPR – Daniel Salloi 2 (Unassisted) 2’
SA – Danny Garcia 1 (Carlos Alvarez 1) 42’
Misconduct Summary:
SPR – Tommy Meyer (Yellow Card) 59’
SA – Michael Reed (Yellow Card) 73’
SA – Victor Araujo (Yellow Card) 90+
Swope Park Rangers: Jon Kempin; Jimmy Mulligan, Tommy Meyer, Jacob VanCompernolle, Christian Duke ©; Ualefi, Tomas Granitto (Amer Didic 85’), Kevin Oliveira; Nansel Selbol (Johnny Grant 88’), Daniel Salloi (Mark Anthony Gonzalez 61’), Kris Tyrpak (Will Little 69’).
Substitutes Not Used: Zac Lubin, Oumar Ballo, Alex Molano.
STATS: Shots 7, Shots on Goal 1, Corners 2, Fouls 12
San Antonio FC: Josh Ford ©; Milton Palacios, Stephen McCarthy, Sam McBride, Greg Cochrane; Michael Reed, Rafael Castillo; Danny Garcia (Shawn Chin 55’), Carlos Alvarez (Victor Araujo 90+), Bobby Moseley (Manolo Sanchez 67’); Jason Johnson.
Substitutes Not Used: Matt Cardone, Fejiro Okiomah, Miguel Salazar, Sebastien Thuriere.
STATS: Shots 17, Shots on Goal 7, Corners 4, Fouls 10
Referee: Michael Lavergne
Assistant Referees: Ian Chapman and William Tomlinson
Fourth Official: Pedro Trejo Jr.
Attendance: 8,466
Weather: Cloudy and 75 degrees
