Phoenix Rising earned it’s first-ever home playoff match following a 2-0 win over Saint Louis FC in front of a sellout crowd of 6,377 fans at the Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex. The clean sheet was Carl Woszczynski’s 11th of the season, most in the USL Western Conference.
Phoenix Rising solidified its position as the No. 2 team in the conference with 62 points and now sit just one point behind first-place Orange County SC (63) with one match in hand. Rising FC can finish no worse than 3rd in the conference.
Billy Forbes, who was subbed into the match in the 63rd minute, was in the right place at the right time following a crushing James Must tackle just outside of the box. The ball popped out to Forbes, who took several stutter steps before striking a shot into the lower right corner of the net for the eventual game-winner.
Forward Chris Cortez provided the insurance in stoppage time. He curled a free kick inside the near right post to make it 2-0. It was his 50th career USL goal and Cortez becomes just the fifth player in league history to reach that milestone.
Phoenix Rising is now guaranteed at least one home playoff match on the weekend of October 19-20. The match will take place on either Friday or Saturday.
The club continues its run for first place in the Western Conference next Saturday, October 6, when they face Reno 1886 FC. The first 2,500 fans who arrive will receive a pink Phoenix Rising breast cancer awareness t-shirt courtesy of Simon Med Imaging. Tickets can be purchased by going to PHXRisingFC.com
