Monterey Bay Secures a Point on the Road Against Roots SC at Pioneer Stadium in Hayward
HAYWARD, California (Saturday, September 23, 2023) – Monterey Bay F.C. (11-12-8, 41 points) secured a point with a 2-2 draw against Roots SC (11-11-8, 41 points) on the road at Pioneer Stadium. Alex Dixon and Ugo Okoli each scored to give the Union two different leads in the match, but Roots SC managed to answer twice and both sides ended the night with a point apiece.
Monterey Bay jumped on top right out of the gates with a goal just three minutes into the match. From his own endline, Kai Greene launched a long ball forward towards Okoli, who flicked it on with a header to play Sam Gleadle in on the break. Leading the counter and approaching the box, Gleadle looked up and found Dixon in space to his left. Dixon composed himself with a positive touch and then smashed the ball into the back of the net with a left-footed strike to put the Crisp-and-Kelp in front 1-0. Dixon and Gleadle nearly combined for another in the 23rd minute, but Gleadle’s left-footed shot from the center of the box missed wide of the left post. Roots SC equalized in the 44th minute with a goal from inside the six by Daniel Barbir and the sides entered the halftime break at one goal apiece.
Though the sides remained level through the hour mark, Monterey Bay broke the deadlock four minutes later. In the 64th minute, Alex Lara boomed a long ball deep into the Roots half of the pitch from his own box. Okoli took the initial ball down with a high-knee touch to his left, his second touch brought the ball back to his right, and through two defenders, the striker powered the ball past the goalkeeper to give the Union the 2-1 lead. Monterey Bay shot out on the counter in the 85th minute of the match with a long run by second-half substitute Chase Boone, but the Roots SC defense managed to reposition and halt the attack before it could get dangerous. With Monterey Bay in the lead, the Roots dominated possession as they looked for the equalizer the final stretch. Then just four nights removed from dropping a match in stoppage time, the Union conceded again in the 90th minute. This time, it was Neveal Hackshaw who’s shot took a lucky bounce off the right post and in to steal a point for the Roots and the match ended 2-2.
Up Next: Monterey Bay heads to San Diego for its second of three consecutive matches on the road for a fixture with Loyal SC at Torero Stadium on Saturday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m. PT. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Notes:
– Forward Ugo Okoli scored his third goal in the last five matches with his go-ahead finish in the 64th minute of the match.
– Missing the match due to injury were Simon Dawkins (knee), Mobi Fehr (hamstring), Jesse Maldonado (knee), and Grant Robinson (abdomen).
Match Information
Date: September 23, 2023
Venue: Pioneer Stadium; Hayward, California
Weather: Partly cloudy and 64 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
Roots SC 1 1 2
Monterey Bay F.C. 1 1 2
MB: Alex Dixon (Sam Gleadle) 3’
OAK: Daniel Barbir (Bryan Tamacas) 44’
MB: Ugo Okoli (Alex Lara) 64’
OAK: Neveal Hackshaw 90’
Lineups
Roots SC (3-4-3): Paul Blanchette; Daniel Barbir, Neveal Hackshaw, Emrah Klimenta; Bryan Tamacas (Luis Saldana, 86’), Guillermo Diaz, Irakoze Donasiyano (Tarek Morad, 86’), Napo Matsoso (Baboucarr Njie, 75’); Anuar Pelaez, Johnny Rodriguez, Trayvon Reid (Jeciel Cedeno, 58’)
Subs not used: Timothy Syrel, Wolfgang Prentice, Etsgar Cruz
Monterey Bay F.C. (3-4-3): Carlos Herrera; Alex Lara, Kai Greene, Hugh Roberts II; Walmer Martínez, Rafa Baca, James Murphy, Morey Doner; Alex Dixon, Ugo Okoli, Sam Gleadle (Chase Boone, 80’)
Subs not used: Antony Siaha, Max Glasser, Nevello Yoseke, Adrian Rebollar, Chuy Enríquez, Christian Volesky
Stats Summary: OAK / MB
Shots: 18 / 7
Shots on Goal: 4 / 3
Saves: 1 / 2
Corner Kicks: 5 / 1
Fouls: 11 / 11
Possession: 64.2% / 35.8%
Misconduct Summary
OAK: Napo Matsoso (caution) 65’
OAK: Irakoze Donasiyano (caution) 79’
Officials
Referee: JC Griggs
Assistant Referee: Seth Martin
Assistant Referee: Justin Fillmore
Fourth Official: Robert Vincze
