Orange County SC earned a hard fought point after a 1-1 draw with Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday, September 30 at Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex at 38th and Washington in Phoenix, AZ. Forward Milan Iloski scored his 13th goal of the season, extending his all-time club record.
The hosts had the night’s first chance in the 13th minute, after a pass deflected off of midfielder Kevin Partida and into the path of Rising forward Panagiotis Armenakas. Armenakas played a through ball into midfielder Darnell King, but OCSC goalkeeper Colin Shutler was quick off his line to snuff the danger.
OCSC nearly created a chance of their own off the press in the 21st minute after midfielder Kyle Scott forced an errant pass from Phoenix goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo that fell into the path of forward Thomas Amang. With his left foot, Amang quickly put a shot on target from outside of the box, but Rios Novo was able to recover in time and make the save.
The Black and Orange had another dangerous chance in the 25th minute, when Scott played a cross into the box that found defender Dillon Powers, but his header went just over the bar.
The press nearly created another chance for Orange County in the 36th minute after Iloski took the ball off of Rising defender Alejandro Fuenmayor in the box. The ball then fell to forward Thomas Amang who played Iloski back in on goal, but Rios Novo again was up for the task and the two sides went into halftime goalless.
Defender Owen Lambe almost immediately put the visitors on the front foot on the other side of halftime in the 47th minute. His direct free kick seemed destined for the far corner, but went just over the crossbar.
A pair of substitutions in the 60th minute paid immediate dividends for OCSC after substitutes Marc “Sparky” McNulty and Brian Iloski combined for some dangerous link up play in the box. The ball was poked out of the path of Brian Iloski, but was cleared only as far as his brother Milan at the top of the box. Milan struck the ball cleanly first time and into the bottom right corner of the net and Orange County led 1-0 in the 61st minute.
In the 79th minute, substitute defender Andrew Fox whipped in a cross that found Brian at the top of the box. The midfield maestro created some space between himself and the Phoenix defense, but his shot was saved by Rios Novo.
Phoenix tied the match in the 85th minute with a long range strike from substitute midfielder Emil Cuello that ultimately saw the two top four hopefuls share the points at 38th and Washington.
OCSC will return home for a pair of matches next week, with the first being on Wednesday, October 4 when they host Oakland Roots SC at 7:00 PM as a part of our California Classic Night! This match will feature a pregame classic car show, an In-N-Out truck, and surprise guests from our friends at the Anaheim Ducks! Grab your tickets here today!
MILESTONES AND FACTS:
Forward Milan Iloski scored his 13th goal of the season, extending his club goal scoring record to 35. It is also his 40th goal in his 80th USL Championship appearance.
Goalkeeper Colin Shutler returned to the lineup after dealing with an injury and kept his Goals Allowed Average at 1.00 GAA, good for fourth best in the league.
| TEAM | FIRST HALF | SECOND HALF | FULL TIME |
| OCSC | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| PRFC | 0 | 1 | 1 |
SCORING SUMMARY:
61’ Milan Iloski (OCSC)
85’ Emil Cuello (PRFC)
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
ORANGE COUNTY SC
76’ Andrew Fox
84’ Dillon Powers
PHOENIX RISING FC
70’ Jose Hernandez
84’ Mohamed Traore
ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP:
Colin Shutler (GK); Ryan Doghman, Markus Nakkim (C), Dillon Powers, Owen Lambe; Kevin Partida (Andrew Fox 76’), Kyle Scott (Brent Richards 89’), Seth Casiple, Bryce Jamison (Brian Iloski 60’); Thomas Amang (Sparky McNulty 60’), Milan Iloski (Cameron Dunbar 76’)
Unused subs: Eric Lopez (GK), Kevin Lankford
Head Coach: Morten Karlsen
Possession: 44% | Shots: 14 | Shots On Goal: 5 | Corners: 6 | Fouls: 11 | Offsides: 1 |
PHOENIX RISING FC LINEUP:
Rocco Rios Novo (GK); Mohamed Traore, John Stenberg, Alejandro Fuenmayor; Daniel Trejo, Renzo Jose Zambrano, Jose Hernandez (Fede Varela 80’), Darnell King (C); Dariusz Formella, Manuel Arteaga (Erickson Gallardo 72’), Panagiotis Armenakas (Emil Cuello 72’)
Unused subs: Patrick Rakovsky (GK), Carlos Harvey, Daniel Krutzen, Eddie Munjoma
Head Coach: Juan Guerra
Possession: 56% | Shots: 8 | Shots On Goal: 2 | Corners: 2 | Fouls: 11 | Offsides: 2 |
Orange County SC @ Phoenix Rising FC
2023 USL Championship | Matchday 31
Date: September 30, 2023
Venue: Phoenix Rising Stadium at 38th and Washington (Phoenix, AZ)
Weather: Guess someone better wake up Green Day…