COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (Saturday, June 9, 2012) – The Colorado Rapids Reserves defeated Sporting Kansas City Reserves 3-1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park today. Rapids midfielder Jamie Smith scored the first two goals in just his second game back since tearing his ACL last October.
Sporting Kansas City and the Rapids battled evenly for half an hour with several looks at goal each. Smith opened the scoring in the 31st minute when he received a pass just past the center circle and blasted a long-range shot into the upper left corner of the net and out of Sporting goalkeeper Jon Kempin’s reach.
In the second half, Smith tallied again in the 54th minute by finishing a give and go from Andre Akpan with a one-touch shot from the top of the six-yard box. A minute later, Ross LaBauex dribbled to the endline and slotted a pass back to Kamani Hill who scored to put the Rapids up 3-0 in the 55th.
Sporting would not back down, though, and Soony Saad collected a loose ball in the Rapids attacking third, faked to his left to offset a Rapids defender, and shoot to the lower right corner out of Ian Joyce’s reach in the 63rd. The Rapids nearly sealed the win with a fourth goal in the 68th; Edu’s finish with a diving header was called back for offside and kept the score at 3-1 until the final whistle.
The win brings the Rapids to a 4-2-1 record and first in the Central/Mountain Division with 13 points, and Sporting remains at fourth in the standings with a 2-3-2 record. The Colorado Rapids Reserves next face Real Salt Lake at home on August 5, and Sporting face Houston Dynamo on August 14 in Texas.
Scoring Summary:
COL – Jamie Smith (unassisted) 31’
COL – Jamie Smith (Andre Akpan) 54’
COL – Kamani Hill (Ross LaBauex) 55’
KC – Soony Saad (unassisted) 63’
Disciplinary Summary:
COL – Harrison Henao (Unsporting behavior) 88’
Colorado Rapids Reserves – Ian Joyce, Davy Armstrong (Idrissa Camara 78’), Eddie Ababio, Joseph Nane, Luis Zapata; Brian Mullan (Ross LaBauex 46’), Shane O’Neill, Kamani Hill (Harrison Henao 63’), Jamie Smith (Dillon Serna 69’), Edu, Andre Akpan (Tony Cascio 73’).
Substitutes Not Used: Steward Ceus, Avery Ball
Sporting Kansas City – Jon Kempin; Michael Harrington, Konrad Warzycha, Michael Thomas, Kevin Ellis (Erik Palmer-Brown 70’); Kyle Miller, Sana Camara, David Leichty (Evans Prophe 76’); Dom Dwyer, Soony Saad, Jacob Peterson (Eduardo Moreno 32’).
Substitutes Not Used: Steve Spangler
= Denotes Colorado Rapids or Sporting Kansas City Academy players
= Denotes trial players
Weather: Sunny, 86 degrees.
