Sacramento kept up the dominant form shown in their last match in a deciding 4-0 result Sunday afternoon. For the second straight contest in league play, the club netted four goals, while pressure was kept away for Danny Vitiello and company to tally their 13th clean sheet across all competitions for the season.
Four in 45, Again
For the second consecutive match, Sacramento was relentless in the attacking third and took advantage of every window they had. Damia Viader’s 7th minute opener came with Orange County defenders frozen, while Rodrigo Lopez’s 18th-minuter came from distance after finding the opposing goalkeeper out of position. Additional chances came from Maalique Foster breaking lines all day en route to his second career brace. The offensive effort marked the second straight match netting four scores – a feat accomplished only twice in club history and last achieved in 2016.
A New Mark
All season, the Quails’ defense has been a national talking point both in league play and in the U.S. Open Cup. Coming off a tough stretch to close August and open September, the club hasn’t allowed a score in 180 minutes. Sunday’s clean sheet was the 14th for the squad this season across all competitions – surpassing the 2016, 2018, and 2019 teams’ mark of 12 for a new single-year record.
Momentum is Building
Including the club’s August 27 match against Oakland Roots, Sacramento has won three of four in league play. Each victory has come by way of the clean sheet, putting them in excellent form going into a big stretch of five matches to close the season. Two straight wins puts them in a great spot ahead of this coming Saturday’s match against Western Conference-leader San Antonio FC, as well, and the club knows it.
“We’ve got lots of good momentum to go into San Antonio,” said forward Maalique Foster following Sunday’s match. “San Antonio is pretty much the best team on paper so far in the league. So we have to go there and show them that we’re ready for this fight.”
