Colorado Rapids 2 put up the team performance of the season on Saturday night in 2-1 win over Houston Dynamo 2 at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. The contest was highlighted by first-time professional goals from Rapids Academy players Rogelio Garcia and Colton Swan and a home debut for Academy keeper Zackory Campagnolo.
The victory marked the first time this season that Rapids 2 has put up consecutive wins at home.
Garcia was the first to kick off the night after both sides were unable to find the back of the net in the opening 45 minutes. After coming on as a substitute at the half, the Academy midfielder made an immediate impact to put Rapids 2 up in the 63rd minute.
With a defender tight on his back, Garcia managed to find Robinson Aguirre in the midfield who took one touch to feed a through ball to captain Marlon Vargas. Vargas carried the ball to the outside of the box and found Garcia on a run towards goal. Gracia took one touch and finished a shot into the far post for his first professional goal and the opener on the night.
Vargas' play on Garcia’s goal marked his 14th all-time regular-season assist for Rapids 2, setting a record for the most assists in team history.
The second of the night came off of Rapids 2’s second set piece goal of the season. After securing a free kick from about 35 yards out, Aguirre stood over the ball and delivered a high-floating pass to the far post. Academy forward Swan was in the perfect position for an unmarked header and placed the ball over the Houston keeper’s hands and into the back of the net in the 78th minute.
Houston would go on to grab one back in the dying minutes of the match, but the offensive efforts of the away side were not enough to defeat national team goalkeeper Campagnolo. The Rapids Academy keeper ended the night with six saves in his Rapids 2 home debut, helping his side to their fifth win of the season.
