Playing their second regional derby this week, Zeiko Lewis and his Sacramento Republic FC teammates split the points in the East Bay, after the hosts converted a late penalty awarded by the referee to pull even.
After a strong first half, Sacramento found themselves on their heels defensively after the break. The draw overshadowed an excellent performance from youngster Rafa Jauregui, who led the club with two shots and came inches from his first career goal on more than one occasion.
Lewis started the match on the bench, replacing Keko Gontan in the 82nd minute.
Sacramento got off to a good start, posting 10 shots in the first half and coming close to finding the net on a number of set piece opportunities. Good service in the 14th minute by Jack Gurr on the right nearly created a chance for Rafa Jauregui, but would be cleared away before the homegrown midfielder could play it. The duo wouldn’t need to wait long for their next chance, however, as Jauregui nearly opened the scoring with a rocket off a corner kick a minute later, but his attempt was blocked.
Roots answered with a pair of threats of their own, but a bit of luck and excellent defending kept Sacramento on the front foot. After Lee Desmond neutralized service from the right, a good save from Oakland’s Paul Blanchette resulted in an opportunity in transition just after the mid-way point of the first half.
The scoreless draw was broken just before the break, when Luis Felipe found the net to give Sacramento a 1-0 advantage. After corralling a heeled-in pass from Luther Archimede, the Brazilian punched one through for his third score in four matches, and his first goal in league play this season.
On the hunt for his first career score, Jauregui nearly doubled Sacramento’s advantage just after halftime. With the opposing keeper on the ground after his third save of the night, Jauregui let loose his fourth shot of the match, but found it blocked by another good defensive play.
Roots found their footing as the second half progressed, putting Sacramento on their heels and holding 70% possession for a majority of the half. However, a diving save by Danny in the 56th minute kept Sacramento’s lead intact, as did a blocked shot by Keko from close range in the 65th. The equalizer came for Oakland in the 81st minute, after the official gifted a penalty in the box to the hosts. Magnus Karlsson converted from the spot with his league-leading eighth score of the season to pull his club even.
|
