Republic FC’s second contest of the season with Oakland Roots gave fans plenty to cheer for. The 3-3 draw saw the two NorCal squads trade punches for 90+ minutes, providing all kinds of fireworks. Before Luis Felipe headed in the equalizer at the death, however, a few things stood out to put Republic FC in a position to steal a point from their East Bay foes.
Speed Kills
Making just his second start of the season, forward Maalique Foster gave Oakland’s back line fits all night with his raw speed and ability to break lines with ease. Foster alone accounted for a 0.83 goals expected rating – higher than all but Oakland’s Magnus Karlsson who netted two scores – and exited the match in the 80th minute after creating three chances. He also assisted the club’s first score, sending along a recovered ball to Rodrigo Lopez at the top of the penalty box.
No better were the Jamaican’s best attributes shown off just before halftime when Duke Lacroix poked away the ball from an Oakland player’s feet and put Foster in a footrace. Even with a near 10-yard handicap to Emrah Klimenta, Foster still left the defender in the dust before punching in his team-leading fourth goal of the year.
Put the Pressure On
Republic FC wasted no time putting the Roots on their heels – a pair of chances within five minutes of the opening whistle nearly resulted in the opening score. Luis Felipe was just a hair late to a ball snagged by Oakland’s keeper, and Jack Gurr nearly netted his first of the year after shooting from distance.
That pressure set the tone for how Sacramento would play, as they’d have Oakland on their heels for nearly the entire contest. Great work by Douglas Martinez to box an opposing defender into the corner resulted in Sacramento’s first score, while the remainder of the squad combined for seven shots on target – tied for the second-highest tally by the club all season long. 11 of Sacramento’s 14 shots came from inside the penalty area, and the club nearly doubled their previous season-high of big chances created with 7.
Stop after Stop
Mark Briggs’ Men may have conceded three scores for the second straight match, but if not for the performance of Danny Vitiello in goal, Saturday could have ended a whole lot differently. Oakland pressed Sacramento hard all night, posting 10 shots on target. Tough luck for the keeper resulted in two of Oakland’s three goals, with one coming off the rebound of a tremendous save to stop a rocket from distance and another putting him in a tough spot, going just past his fingertips after a deflection. But the Albany alum performed admirably despite what was thrown at him, tallying seven stops for the match to set a new career-high for saves in a single game.
