The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros and Sacramento Republic FC divided points after a 0-0 draw. Calle Brown registered four saves to keep the clean sheet.
The Toros had their first clear opportunity in the 20th minute. José Escalante found himself one-on-one against Evan Newton, goalkeeper for Sacramento, and slotted his shot towards goal. Newton was able to make a save on the play. Sacramento’s Sammy Ochoa almost put the home team ahead in the 25th minute, but his shot went wide.
Ruben Luna connected with an Emilio Garcia cross in the 34th minute. His header was not on target and went high. Sacramento Republic FC kept finding spaces but were not able to make the most out of their opportunities. Brown denied Tyler Blackwood from scoring right before the first half ended.
The Toros sought a game winning goal early in the second half but couldn’t find the back of the net. Ivan Magalhaes shot was blocked in the 46th minute and Eric Bird hit the crossbar a minute after. Emilio Garcia was able to slice into the box, but his curling shot barely missed the goal.
Republic FC found their rhythm once again as the second half continued. RGV’s Calle Brown had back-to-back saves to keep the Toros in the game. In the 78th minute Brown denied Christian Chaney. A minute later, Brown denied Blackwood and sent his shot up for grabs. Sammy Ochoa was not able to head the rebound on target.
The game had thrilling action until the dying minutes of the game. In 90th minute, Calle Brown stopped Christopher Christian’s header. On the other side of the pitch, Camilo Monroy had an opportunity to score on stoppage time from a free kick. Monroy’s shot hit the crossbar ending the game 0-0.
The Toros will stay on the road and face Reno 1868 FC for the first time ever. The match will kick off at 9:30 p.m. at the Greater Nevada Field on Wednesday, June 7.
