LA Galaxy II defeated OKC Energy 2-1 in the USL Western Conference Final Sunday evening at Taft Stadium in Oklahoma City thanks to goals from Ariel La
LA Galaxy II defeated OKC Energy 2-1 in the USL Western Conference Final Sunday evening at Taft Stadium in Oklahoma City thanks to goals from Ariel Lassiter and Andre Auras.
With the victory, Los Dos advanced to the USL Championship match for the first time in the club’s two-year history. They’ll face the Rochester Rhinos in the final.
.@Arilassiter11 slots home his third goal of the #USLPlayoffs to put Los Dos up 1-0 on @EnergyFC! #OKCvLA https://t.co/SSYAnG3Dno
— #USLChampionship (@USL) October 11, 2015
Lassiter opened the scoring in just the seventh minute of the match after capitalizing on a loose ball in the box. The goal came following a free kick which Andre Auras served in from roughly 30 yards out that bounced off the ground, then was redirected by Energy defender Bradley Diallo. The 21-year-old Lassiter pounced on the rebound on the far post and knocked the ball into an empty Energy FC net. The goal was Lassiter’s third of the 2015 postseason.
.@AurasD gives @LAGalaxyII the 2-0 lead over @EnergyFC in the 23rd minute with a brilliant free kick! #OKCvLA https://t.co/XKL4cvZ06V
— #USLChampionship (@USL) October 11, 2015
In the 22nd minute, Galaxy II doubled their lead when Auras curled a direct free kick from 25-yards into the left corner of the Oklahoma City net past goalkeeper Evan Newton. The goal is the French midfielder’s first of the 2015 USL Playoffs.
As the second half kicked off, Energy FC pushed forward in search of a way back into the match. In the 65th minute, Oklahoma City got on the board when Coady Andrews nodded a Sebastian Dalgaard corner past Galaxy II goalkeeper Clement Diop.
Once Energy FC got on the scoreboard, the hosts pressed Galaxy II in search of the equalizer. However, Diop and the Galaxy defense held firm amid the Energy FC attack.
Diop, who kept two clean sheets during the playoffs, made a pair of clutch stops late to send Galaxy II through to their first ever USL final.
The final will be played Friday, October 16th at 7:30 pm EST at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester, New York. The Rochester Rhinos won the right to host the final based on their regular season league-best finish which saw them collect 61 points from 28 games. The final will be broadcast live on youtube.
