MONTEREY BAY BATTLES BACK TWICE TO DRAW RHODE ISLAND FC 2-2 AT CARDINALE STADIUM

SEASIDE, California (Sunday, March 24, 2024) – Monterey Bay F.C. (1-0-2, 5 points) drew 2-2 with Eastern Conference side and league newcomers Rhode Island FC (0-0-2, 2 points) on Sunday Fun Day at Cardinale Stadium in Week 3 of the 2024 USL Championship regular season. The Crisp-and-Kelp battled back from two different deficits behind a first half goal from Carlos Guzmán – his first goal for the Union – and a second half goal from Tristan Trager to earn a point at home.

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As per usual so far this season, the Union came out aggressive and earned an opportunity at goal in the opening minute of the match. A turnover created by Adrian Rebollar resulted in a curling shot by Mobi Fehr, but it was caught by the goalkeeper. Rhode Island took a chance on frame in the 13th minute with a shot by Conor McGlynn from the top of the box, but the attempt was scooped up by Antony Siaha. Rebollar fired off a shot of his own from a bit of distance, but it missed wide of the left post. Then a minute later, Monterey Bay looked to score the opener off the right-foot of Alex Dixon, but the goal was disallowed for offsides in the 21st minute. A cross into the box by Dixon in the 23rd minute looked dangerous, but Rafa Baca and Luther Archimède were unable to get on the end of it. In the 30th minute, the visitors looked likely to put one in against the run of play, but Albert Dikwa’s shot from the six-yard box was blocked away by Kai Greene. Then in the 42nd minute, Rhode Island found the breakthrough goal with a shot by Dikwa that snuck under Siaha’s legs to put the visitors up 1-0. With less than a minute to play in the half, Monterey Bay earned a set piece on the right corner of the box. Walmer Martínez crossed the ball right into the heart of the box towards Guzmán, who tapped the ball into the bottom left corner of the net to bring the level at one goal apiece at the halftime break.

Dikwa struck again in the 63rd minute when a cross into the Union’s six-yard box was met with a scramble that allowed the league’s top goalscorer from last season to pounce and retake the lead for the visitors. Then in the 72th minute, second-half substitute Chase Boone intercepted the ball deep in Rhode Island territory and played Fehr down the right sideline. Fehr then crossed the ball into the box from the endline and found Trager for the tap in equalizer – his second goal of the season. Monterey Bay continued its aggressive play in search of the winner over the next several minutes. In the 85th minute, the Union looked to take the lead with a goal by Greene on the end of a corner, but the score was taken away by the offside flag and the match ended level at 2-2.

Up Next

Monterey Bay hits the road for a two-match away swing starting with another trip to Texas to take on San Antonio FC at Toyota Field on March 30. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. PT. The match can be streamed live on ESPN+.

Golden Memorial Man of the Match

Carlos Guzmán earns tonight’s Golden Memorial Man of the Match honors for his 90-minute performance. Guzmán put an exclamation point on the end of the first half with his first goal in Crisp and Kelp, and finished the match with five clearance, five tackles and two interceptions. In addition, he won 17 of his 18 duels on the night.

Additional Notes

Carlos Guzmán opened his Monterey Bay account with a goal in the 45th minute of the match.
Missing the match due to injury were Simon Dawkins (knee), Xavi Gnaulati (groin) and Jesse Maldonado (knee).

Information

Date: March 24, 2024
Venue: Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Weather: Windy and 56 degrees
Attendance: 3,359

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F

Monterey Bay F.C. 1 1 2
Rhode Island FC 1 1 2
RI: Albert Dikwa (Noah Fuson) 41’
MB: Carlos Guzmán (Walmer Martínez) 45’
RI: Albert Dikwa 63’
MB: Tristan Trager (Mobi Fehr) 72’

Lineups

Monterey Bay F.C. (4-1-4-1): Antony Siaha; Walmer Martínez, Carlos Guzmán, Kai Greene, Morey Doner; Rafa Baca; Alex Dixon (Ryan Dieter, 71’), Adrian Rebollar (Pierce Gallaway, 45’), Mobi Fehr, Chuy Enríquez (Chase Boone, 62’); Luther Archimède (Tristan Trager, 62’)
Subs not used: Carlos Herrera, Alex Lara, Grant Robinson

Rhode Island FC (4-5-1): Koke Vegas (Jackson Lee, 80’); Frank Nodarse, Grant Stoneman, Karifa Yao, Stephen Turnbull (Prince Saydee, 80’); Jojea Kwizera, Marc Ybarra, Joseph Brito (Mark Doyle, 67’), Conor McGlynn (Kofi Twumasi, 73’), Noah Fuson; Albert Dikwa
Subs not used: Gabriel Alves, Kevin Vang, Nathan Messer

Stats Summary: MB / RI

Shots: 12 / 9
Shots on Goal: 4 / 3
Saves: 1 / 2
Corner Kicks: 5 / 3
Fouls: 13 / 13
Possession: 45.5% / 54.5%

Misconduct Summary

MB: Luther Archimède (caution) 13’
RI: Joseph Brito (caution) 37’
RI: Grant Stoneman (caution) 46’
RI: Marc Ybarra (caution) 54’
RI: Stephen Turnbull (caution) 55’
MB: Pierce Gallaway (caution) 90+4’
MB: Walmer Martínez (caution) 90+8’