Monterey Bay Delivers Republic FC First Home Loss of 2023 with 1-0 Shutout at Heart Health Park in Sacramento
SACRAMENTO, California (Saturday, June 17, 2023) – Monterey Bay F.C. (6-4-5, 23 points) handed Western Conference rival Sacramento Republic FC (8-2-5, 29 points) its first loss at Heart Health Park this season with a 1-0 win. Christian Volesky scored the lone goal of the match in the first half and Antony Siaha is credited with his third clean sheet of the season with five saves on the night.
The home side earned an opportunity on frame mere moments after the opening kick off when a ball into the box landed at the feet of Jack Gurr, but his shot was saved at the near post by Siaha. Monterey Bay earned an opportunity right back in the 3rd minute with a free kick earned by Sam Gleadle, but it was cleared away by the Sacramento defense. Republic FC created a turnover at midfield that resulted in a shot from the top of the box by Russell Cicerone in the 18th minute, but it was saved by Siaha. Monterey Bay then immediately worked its way up the pitch on the right side. A give and go combination from Doner and Gleadle led the right back in behind the hosts backline where he picked out Volesky in acres of space inside the box. With his first touch, Volesky calmly buried the left-footed shot to the right of the goalkeeper, putting the Crisp and Kelp in front on the road with his sixth goal of the campaign. The Union earned a free kick from the halfway line just before the end of the first half that resulted in a throw-in near the corner flag, but the chance was thwarted and the half ended 1-0 in favor of the visitors.
Monterey Bay opened the second half with a scoring chance in the 51st minute when Volesky laid the ball off to Walmer Martínez making a run up to the box, but his shot missed just over the crossbar. Republic FC then returned the favor with back-to-back chances in the 53rd and 55th minutes, but the Union defense held strong to deny both chances, though the hosts continued to apply pressure for the next several minutes. The same goalscoring combo for the Union nearly struck again in the 71st minute when Doner looped a ball towards Volesky at the far post, but his header was denied by the post. Sacramento came close to capitalizing on a scramble inside the box in the 83rd minute, but the shot from Republic FC was blocked at the near post by Doner to deny a huge opportunity for the hosts. Despite throwing everyone forward for the final few minutes of the match, Monterey Bay stood tall to escape Sacramento with a 1-0 shutout victory.
Up Next: Monterey Bay F.C. returns home next Saturday, June 24 for a fixture against Miami FC on Pride Night at Cardinale Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT. The match will be broadcast locally on KION (46 & 23 over the air, 46 Dish, 27 DirecTV and 5/705 HD Xfinity), with live streaming available on Paramount+, Hulu, YouTubeTV, FuboTV, and ESPN+.
Notes:
– The opening score of the match in the 18th minute was Christian Volesky’s sixth goal of the campaign – just one shy of his season total in 2022.
– The Crisp & Kelp handed Sacramento its first home loss of the campaign with the result.
– The Union defense recorded an all-time club high 36 clearances in the match.
– Monterey Bay earned its first-ever win in Sacramento with the 1-0 result, making it two consecutive wins over Republic FC overall dating back to last season.
– Missing the match due to injury were Max Glasser (hamstring) and Alex Lara (ankle).
Match: Sacramento Republic FC vs Monterey Bay F.C.
Date: June 17, 2023
Venue: Heart Health Park; Sacramento, California
Weather: Mostly cloudy and 71 degrees
Attendance: 11,569
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
Sacramento Republic 0 0 0
Monterey Bay F.C. 1 0 1
MB: Christian Volesky (Morey Doner) 18’
Lineups:
Sacramento Republic FC (3-1-4-2): Daniel Vitiello; Lee Desmond, Conor Donovan (Shane Wiedt, 86’), Jared Timmer; Damia Viader (Aldair Sanchez, 80’); Russell Cicerone, Luis Felipe, Arnold Lopez, Jack Gurr; Sebastian Herrera (Zeiko Lewis, 65’), Nick Ross (Keko, 65’)
Subs not used: Carlos Saldana, Ferrety Sousa, Rafael Jauregui
Monterey Bay F.C. (3-4-3): Antony Siaha; Mobi Fehr, Hugh Roberts, Kai Greene; Walmer Martínez, James Murphy, Adrian Rebollar (Nevello Yoseke, 63’), Morey Doner; Chase Boone (Alex Dixon, 73’), Christian Volesky, Sam Gleadle
Subs not used: Carlos Herrera, Grant Robinson, Chuy Enríquez, Jesse Maldonado, Ugo Okoli
Stats Summary: SAC / MB
Shots: 21 / 5
Shots on Goal: 5 / 2
Saves: 1 / 5
Corner Kicks: 11 / 0
Fouls: 14 / 12
Possession: 71.1% / 28.9%
Misconduct Summary:
MB: Mobi Fehr (caution) 11’
MB: James Murphy (caution) 42’
SAC: Russell Cicerone (caution) 61’
MB: Walmer Martínez (caution) 86’
MB: Antony Siaha (caution) 90+1’
SAC: Mark Briggs, Head Coach (caution) 90+1’
Officials:
Referee: Abdou Ndiaye
Assistant Referee 1: Salvador Reyes
Assistant Referee 2: Bhavik Dutt
Fourth Official: Michael Zapata
