Aodhan Quinn of the OC Soccer Club beats Reno 1868 FC goalkeeper Matt Bersano in the 29th minute with the game winning goal Saturday at the Championship Soccer Stadium. (Photo courtesy OC Soccer Club)
Orange County SC’s historical season has another first-time accomplishment: Western Conference finals.
Saturday night, OCSC defeated Reno 1868 FC 1-0 at Championship Soccer Stadium at the Orange County Great Park Stadium.The team moves on to face Phoenix Rising FC Saturday, Nov. 3 for a spot in the USL Cup Final.
The match will be at the Great Park stadium Saturday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.
After scoring four goals against Saint Louis in the first round, Orange County relied on a lone score and solid defensive play in Saturday’s match. An interception in their attacking half allowed forward Michael Seaton to play the ball through to midfielder Aodhan Quinn, who was able to beat goalkeeper Matt Bersano for the 29th minute goal.
Each side would have chances that seemed destined for the back of the net, only to roll wide or narrowly skim over the bar. After they scored a late winner to defeat Real Monarchs SLC last round, Reno continued to push numbers forward until the final whistle. But this time, there was no last-minute goal and the 5th-seed was eliminated by a quality defensive performance from the hosts.
Surprisingly, Orange County held only 40 percent of possessions and were less accurate in their passing, both categories they typically thrive in. But, it was a gritty performance against an inspired and quality opponent.
Now, it will be a heavyweight fight between OC and Rising FC to see who wins the USL Western Conference and moves on to the final. The clubs met three times in the regular season and the series split evenly, one win apiece and a draw to open the season. Phoenix defeated Swope Park Rangers 4-2 in their Western Conference semifinal.
Tickets for Saturday’s match are available now at orangecountysoccer.com.
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