Utah Red Wolves’ season comes to an end with loss to Oly Town FC in USL2 playoffs
After securing a third-straight Mountain division title, the Utah Red Wolves were hopeful that a deep run in the 2023 USL2 Playoffs rested in their future.
SEATTLE, Wash. — After securing a third-straight Mountain division title, the Utah Red Wolves were hopeful that a deep run in the 2023 USL League Two playoffs rested in their future. Those aspirations, however, were quickly squelched in the first round by Oly Town FC of Olympia, Washington.
Heading into the week, the odds began to stack against the Wolves. Collegiate team commitments forced Utah to enter the playoffs without many of their key players, including leading scorer Greyson Mercer (Michigan State), team captain Kurt Lehmkuhl (Cornell), and star forwards Rolando Uno (Eastern Florida) and Zach Lifferth (Utah Valley). To make matters worse, the location chosen for the neutral site match required a more than 800-mile drive for the Red Wolves. Oly Town made the trip in little more than an hour.
The depleted Red Wolves were never able to find their footing for the duration of the match. The squad’s typically staunch defense, which never allowed more than a single goal in any match all season, was unable to hold off the frenetic attacking style of Oly Town. Utah attempted to counter with a more deliberate, methodical offensive approach, but sustained attacks were few and far between.
While the Wolves’ first shot didn’t come until 40 minutes into the match, Utah was forced to defend against a dozen set pieces in the first half alone. Multiple near-goals by Oly Town’s Richy Lapointe-Guevara in the first 10 minutes put the Wolves in danger of falling behind early, but the goalkeeping of Jason Smith kept the match scoreless late into the first half.
Oly Town’s first goal came in the 39th minute in the wake of a free kick from 40 yards out. An excellent redirect off the head of Jack Sluys sent the ball to a sprinting Habib Famuditimi, who buried it in the back of the net. Just five minutes later, Oly Town consolidated their lead off a corner kick that was chipped in off the head of center back Camron Miller.
In didn’t take long for the team from Olympia to resume their domination in the second half. Just 50 seconds in, forward Gil De La Luz worked his way through the porous Red Wolves defense to find an open shot opportunity. A confident strike from De La Luz delivered the ball around the left goalpost to give his squad a three-goal lead. Oly Town’s final goal in the 4-0 rout came in the 69th minute courtesy of Cooper Brunell.
Smith was the lone bright spot for the Red Wolves on Friday afternoon. Smith, who recently announced he will be transferring from Utah Valley to Syracuse to join the defending NCAA Division I National Champions for his junior year, showed precisely why Utah head coach Scott Mackenzie believes Smith to be the most skilled keeper in the Beehive State. Despite the ugly final scoreline, Smith made a number of acrobatic saves to keep the Wolves’ hopes alive.
Mackenzie and company will now focus on developing their U-19 and U-15 squads in preparation for the 2024 season. In an improving Mountain division that now features five quality opponents, the Red Wolves know that retaining their division crown year after year will only get more challenging.
