Utah Red Wolves clinch 3rd straight division title with unbeaten season as team looks to playoffs
Utah Red Wolves clinch 3rd straight division title with unbeaten season as team looks to playoffs
Heading into their final match of the 2023 USL League Two regular season, the Utah Red Wolves needed only to avoid losing by more than four goals to secure yet another Mountain division title.
SALT LAKE CITY — Heading into their final match of the 2023 USL League Two regular season, the Utah Red Wolves needed only to avoid losing by more than four goals to secure yet another Mountain division title. But an undefeated regular season also held in the balance in the regular-season finale against New Mexico United U-23s.
In the end, New Mexico’s best efforts were not enough to overcome the monumental goal differential — or hand the Wolves their first loss of the season.
In a contest between the top two teams in the Mountain division, the offensive-minded Red Wolves opted to play fast to cast aside any hope that New Mexico United U-23 might have had of seizing the division crown. It took just 13 minutes for Utah to score the opening goal of the match, which came courtesy of midfielder Zach Moss and forward Rolando Onu.
Following a takeaway by the Red Wolves’ back line, Moss found the ball coming his way off the head of a New Mexico center back. The quick-thinking midfielder targeted Onu snaking his way between two defenders, gathered the ball out of the air, and placed an exceptional pass at Onu’s feet. With three defenders battling him, Onu maintained control of the ball and sent a crafty chip shot over the right shoulder of the New Mexico goalkeeper for his second goal in two games.
The Wolves’ second goal came just three minutes later off an inswinging corner kick from Englishman Harry Wright, who fired a pristine ball into the New Mexico goal area that met the head of a leaping Alex Fritcher. Thanks to some elite maneuvering and a quick burst of speed, the Salt Lake Community College standout was able to place a relatively uncontested ball in the back of the net for his first goal of the season.
New Mexico United halted the Red Wolves’ momentum with a 37th-minute goal from Tristan Semelsberger that cut Utah’s two-goal lead in half.
The second half was a battle of wills that saw the Wolves narrowly hold off the relentless pressure of New Mexico’s offense again and again. Despite numerous goal scoring opportunities by the opposition, Utah held on to their 2-1 lead until the final whistle was blown.
With a final regular season record of seven wins, zero losses, and three draws, the victory secured the Wolves’ first undefeated season in franchise history.
With little time for revelry, the Red Wolves will need to refocus as they prepare to take on Oly Town FC of Olympia, Washington in the opening round of the 32-team USL League Two Playoffs. The neutral site match will kick off at 3:00 p.m. MDT on Friday, July 21 at Interbay Stadium in Seattle. Should the Wolves come away victorious, they would then take on the winner of Friday’s match between Ballard FC of Seattle and New Mexico United in the second round of the single-elimination tournament at 3 p.m. MDT Sunday.
After two consecutive first-round playoff exits, the Red Wolves are looking to establish themselves as legitimate contenders for the league championship.
First-round opponent Oly Town finished in second place in the Northwest division with a record of 6-4-2. Despite a negative goal differential in a division dominated by Ballard FC, who finished the year at 10-1-1, Oly Town have shown vast improvements since their inaugural season in 2022. They were, in fact, the only team to defeat Ballard FC during the 2023 campaign, which they did in a back-and-forth affair that featured Oly Town goals in the 1st and 90th minutes of the match.