Utah Red Wolves clinch playoff berth, all but lock up division title on Colorado road trip
Utah Red Wolves clinch playoff berth, all but lock up division title on Colorado road trip
In their penultimate match of the regular season, the unbeaten Utah Red Wolves took on a scrappy Flatirons Rush squad on the road.
GOLDEN, Colo. — In their penultimate match of the regular season, the unbeaten Utah Red Wolves took on a scrappy Flatirons Rush squad on the road. A back-and-forth affair throughout, the Wolves took advantage of Rush’s defensive miscues to secure a 2-1 victory.
Heading into their second contest versus Flatirons Rush in seven days, Utah had already secured a spot in the USL League Two playoffs courtesy of Boulder County United. Boulder’s defeat of Rush just two days prior guaranteed that the Wolves would not finish lower than second place in the division.
With the top two Mountain division finishers being awarded automatic berths into the 32-team playoff, the first objective set by head coach Scott Mackenzie at the start of the year had been accomplished. Nevertheless, with the Wolves’ unbeaten season and a possible third straight division title hanging in the balance, the team remained motivated to build upon their 2-0 win over Rush just one week earlier.
The first half of the match saw a number of sustained attacks by both teams but few opportunities to score. After the break, a rejuvenated Red Wolves offense hit the field in attack mode.
Four minutes into the second half, a loose ball was secured in Utah territory by Wolves forward Zach Lifferth, who used a burst of speed to fly past two defenders as he crossed the midfield line. With additional defenders closing in, Lifferth craftily handed the ball off to striker James Miles, who drove the ball into the Rush penalty area. Fortuitously, the nearest defender tripped and fell as he lunged for the ball, leaving Miles with a wide-open shot that he sent past the goalkeeper with ease.
The Wolves’ 1-0 advantage was erased in the 62nd minute in the wake of a Rush corner kick. Off an inswinger, Rush defender Jamie Travis used a high-arcing lob pass to set up teammate Oluwatobi Osifodunrin for a header, which soared past the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Jason Smith for the equalizer.
In the 79th minute, Utah forward Ryuya Miura was replaced by Rolando Onu in hopes that Onu’s fresh legs would provide the Wolves with a much-needed spark. It took no more than two minutes for the substitution to pay off, as Onu took advantage of Rush’s apprehensive passing to give his squad the lead once more.
As a Rush defender attempted to pass the ball to his own goalkeeper, Onu intercepted the slow-moving ball and fired it directly into the goal post. Lifferth then gathered the ball off the rebound and sent a second shot off the keeper’s hands. An alert Onu was there to place an easy third shot into the back of the net for his first goal of the season. This time, Utah would not relinquish a Rush equalizer.
The Red Wolves now have a 6-point lead over New Mexico United in the division standings, but have not formally clinched the division title. For United to wrest the defending champs’ hold on the division, New Mexico must win their penultimate match against Salt City SC, defeat the Red Wolves in the final match of the season, and overcome Utah’s 10-goal differential.
The Red Wolves can formally lock up the division with a win or draw Saturday, July 15 at Judge Memorial Catholic High School. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at the gate for $10 apiece.