COMMERCE CITY, Colo. - Colorado Rapids 2 (9-0-3, 32 pts) will take on Tacoma Defiance (4-3-4, 19 pts) for the first time this season on Sunday, June 18. Kickoff at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. MT and the game will be broadcast through MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Rapids 2 collected its ninth win in Week 12 of the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season, putting up a 1-0 victory over LAFC2. The two sides faced off for the first time in league history last weekend in a back and forth battle of possession at Titan Stadium.
LAFC2 came out hot in the first 20 minutes of the half with two dangerous opportunities on the Rapids’ goal. Midfielder Marlon Vargas came up big in the 14th minute of the match, making a goal line clearance to keep the home side from taking the early lead. Just three minutes later, defender Blake Malone made the second goal line clearance of the match on a header from a LAFC2 forward.
Goalkeeper Adam Beaudry was forced to make some big saves in the first half, coming off his line to keep the strong LAFC attack at bay. Beaudry ended the match with a season-high of four saves and earned his side its fourth clean sheet of the season.
The second half marked a turnaround in momentum for the Rapids as forward Pariss Mitchell found the team’s first shot on target in the 57th minute. However, it was the savvy footwork of Yosuke Hanya that gave the Rapids their lone goal of the match in the 61st minute.
Vargas found an opening at the top of the box and laid a ground pass off to Hanya who managed to juke two defenders to get a shot off with his left foot. The ball calmly made its way past the LAFC2 goalkeeper to give Hanya his ninth goal of the season as he continues to lead the league’s standings for goals scored in 2023. Vargas’ assist boosted him to four on the season, putting him just behind midfielder Oliver Larraz who leads the team and the league with five assists.
As the team heads into its 13th match of the season, they will look to continue their unbeaten streak, which now stands at 12 games. Colorado continues to occupy a first place standing in the Western Conference, sitting four points ahead of the second place Austin FC II squad who has totaled 14 matches so far this season. Meanwhile, Tacoma Defiance, who is also preparing for their 13th match of the season, sits in a fifth place standing with 20 points.
