A tumultuous season came to a quiet end for the Oakland Roots, as the host Colorado Springs Switchbacks cruised to a 2-0 win in the first round of the USL Championship playoffs on Saturday night.
Henriquez Goal Enlivens Cautious First Half
After the Roots’ 5-0 loss to Birmingham Legion FC last weekend, the Roots began the match cautiously and there were few chances on either side.
Oakland’s best chance in the first half came in the 28th minute, when Justin Rasmussen’s shot from close range was deflected over the endline by Colorado Springs defender Matthew Mahoney.
The Roots nearly gave up an own goal in the 35th minute. A corner kick by Aidan Rocha deflected off of the back of Neveal Hackshaw’s head, but the inadvertent shot bounced off of goalkeeper Paul Blanchette’s foot and was eventually cleared away.
The turning point of the match came in the 40th minute, on a brilliant individual effort by Colorado Springs’ Jairo Henriquez, who grabbed a loose ball near midfield, dribbled through several Roots defenders, exchanged passes with both Ronaldo Damus and Zach Zandi, and blasted his shot into the net before as Blanchette rushed out in vain to cut down the angle.
Second Half Controversies
The second half was more physical, with yellow cards issued for four players from each team. In the 49th minute, Oakland players pleaded that Tyreek Magee should have been sent off for a brutal tackle of Gagi Margvelashvili.
Colorado Springs put the match away on a controversial penalty kick in the 55th minute. Aidan Rocha’s cross was intended for Damus, who got tangled up with Memo Diaz at the edge of the six-yard box. The referee immediately pointed to the spot.
Blanchette guessed correctly, but Damus’s spot kick was perfectly placed, just above the turf and just inside the right post.
Oakland’s Offensive Woes Continue
Interim Head Coach Gavin Glinton tried to boost the team’s offense by bringing on Dom Dwyer to replace Camden Riley in the 68th minute, but Dwyer’s sole shot attempt was both high and wide of the net.
Both of Oakland’s shots on goal came in the waning moments of the match. The first came in the 85th minute, when Dom Dwyer fed the ball to Ilya Alekseev as he made his run down the right side. Alekseev tried to slip his shot between the legs of Christian Herrera, but the Colorado Springs goalkeeper was able to deflect it away.
In second half stoppage time, Oakland threw their players forward in search of a pair of goals to save their season. This left Colorado Springs with a pair of chances to add a third goal.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Juan Tejada made a long run from the defensive half of the field and got behind Memo Diaz, but Blanchette was able to deflect his shot away.
In the fourth minute of stoppage time, the hosts nearly had a spectacular goal to begin their victory celebration, but Cole Mrowka’s one-timer from just outside the penalty arc sailed just wide.
After a frustrating match in which Colorado Springs prevented Johnny Rodriguez from getting touches, Oakland’s leading scorer nearly scored his final goal of the season in the fifth minute of stoppage time. A long ball came into the box, and Rodriguez got off a soft shot that was smothered by Herrera, as Rodriguez pleaded for handball by a nearby Colorado Springs defender.
