This Colorado Rapids Special Olympics Unified team match report is brought to you by DICK'S Sporting Goods.
In their second match of the 2018 season, the Rapids Special Olympics Unified team fell short to D.C. United’s Unified team in a 5-3 defeat on Saturday at the RFK Auxiliary Field in Washington, D.C.
The Rapids got off to a strong start with forward Luis Cervantes scoring in the first minute of play with an incredible assist from Langston Smith. After a few substitutions, D.C. leveled the score with a goal from Kevin Guzman in the 5th minute.
From there, D.C. added goals from Mervin Sorania and Ivan Hernandez to take the lead. The Rapids stayed in the match thanks to Cervantes who scored a goal in the final seconds of the first half.
After a quick five-minute break, the teams took the field again for what shaped up to be a strong defensive battle in the second half. Cervantes would go on to score the final goal for the Rapids and record his first hat trick of the season.
As the game was winding down, D.C. scored two more goals in the final few minutes to end the match with a 5-3 victory over the Rapids.
Following the match, Special Olympics D.C. CEO Nicole Preston was on hand to greet each athlete with a handshake and medal at midfield. Rapids goalkeeper Zac MacMath was also present to cheer on both teams.
The Special Olympics Unified team’s next match is set for Saturday, August 25 when Real Salt Lake and Special Olympics Utah make their way to Colorado for the final match of the Rocky Mountain Cup.
