The Swope Park Rangers (8-4-2, 3rd place) earned their second road win in the space of a week as the side battled to a 1-0 victory over LA Galaxy II (3-10-2, 14th place) at StubHub Track & Field Stadium in Carson, California. Nansel Selbol converted Sporting KC defender Tyler Pasher’s cross two minutes after coming on as a substitute as SPR extended their unbeaten streak to six games, going 4-0-2 since the start of June.
The Rangers started on the front foot with Lebo Moloto taking four shots inside the opening 20 minutes but failed to seriously test Eric Lopez in the Galaxy II goal.
Despite the Rangers controlling the majority of the possession, it was LA that created the two best opportunities of the half. Right back Tyler Turner came forward for a corner and bounced a free header into the ground only for Sporting KC loanee Adrian Zendejas to tip it over the bar and out in the 27th minute.
Seven minutes later, Adonis Amaya escaped past Amer Didic into the area but Zendejas came off his line expertly to block his close-range attempt with his chest and ensure that the game remained scoreless at halftime.
Tyler Pasher was the first to threaten after the break as he beat Turner easily out on the left wing before whipping in a dangerous cross that Lopez beat away to safety.
Kevin Oliveira nearly opened the scoring in the 57th minute when he stood over a free kick that he won himself and attempted to catch Lopez at his near post, but the Galaxy II goalkeeper was up to the task and parried it away.
The Rangers took the lead in the 63rd minute when Christian Duke sprayed a pass wide for Pasher who showed excellent patience to find Sporting KC Academy product Nansel Selbol – who only entered the game two minutes prior – to fire into the bottom corner and make the score 1-0.
Moloto almost found his goal immediately after the restart when he pounced on a loose ball inside the area but fired over the bar. Moments later, Selbol again found space in the box and he audaciously tried to find the top corner but the ball ricocheted off the crossbar and out.
Excellent skill from Oliveira once again presented a chance for Moloto in the 69th minute but his first-time finish beyond the near post flashed narrowly wide of the target. SPR almost added a second goal in the 74th minute but Galaxy II was able to clear Mark Anthony Gonzalez’s effort from Robert Mirosavic’s corner off the line.
In the 81st minute, 16-year-old Galaxy II midfielder Jorge Hernandez latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the SPR area and fired a low shot that drifted a few yards wide of Zendejas’ right post.
Selbol should’ve doubled both his tally and the Rangers’ lead in he 86th minute as he received Moloto’s pass before sending Turner the wrong way but his shot was well saved by Lopez as the Rangers saw out a 1-0 victory to move to 8-4-2 and record their fourth shutout of the season.
Next Match
- The Swope Park Rangers return home for a matchup with Rio Grande Valley FC on Saturday, July 8 at Swope Soccer Village with tickets available via SeatGeek. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT and the match will be streamed live on SportingKC.com and in-game updates will be available through the team’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels.
Swope Park Rangers vs. LA Galaxy II
June 30, 2017 – StubHub Center Track & Field Stadium (Carson, Calif.)
Swope Park Rangers 1, LA Galaxy II 0
Scoring Summary:
SPR – Nansel Selbol 3 (Tyler Pasher 1) 63’
Misconduct Summary:
LA – Alejandro Covarrubias (Yellow Card) 43’
SPR – Cameron Iwasa (Yellow Card) 45’
LA – Tyler Turner (Yellow Card) 59’
LA – Ryo Fujii (Yellow Card) 77’
SPR – Mark Anthony Gonzalez (Yellow Card) 85’
SPR – Tyler Pasher (Yellow Card) 87’
Swope Park Rangers: Adrian Zendejas; Parker Maher, Amer Didic, Liam Doyle (Oumar Ballo 80’), Tyler Pasher; James Musa, Lebo Moloto, Christian Duke ©; Kevin Oliveira (Robert Mirosavic 72’), Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Cameron Iwasa (Nansel Selbol 61’).
Substitutes Not Used: Darrin MacLeod, Dakota Barnathan, Louis Bennett, Kharlton Belmar.
STATS: Shots 12, Shots on Goal 5, Corners 6, Fouls 13, Possession 56.2%
LA Galaxy II: Eric Lopez; Tyler Turner, Jonathan Hernandez, Robert Castellanos, Jean Engola; Ryo Fujii, Alejandro Covarrubias, Andre Zanga (Jorge Hernandez 75’), Adrian Vera (Jonah Estrada 68’); Adonis Amaya, Justin Dhillon
Substitutes Not Used: Bennett Sneddon, Zico Bailey, Jake Arteaga.
STATS: Shots 10, Shots on Goal 2, Corners 5, Fouls 14, Possession 43.8%
Referee: Kevin Stott
Video Assistant Referee: Katja Korovela
Assistant Referees: Alexander Luttman and Osvakdo Delgado-Landeros
Fourth Official: Ceciah Valero
