1,882 fans in attendance were treated to a thriller at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah, as the hometown Real Monarchs and visiting Whitecaps FC 2 earned their first-ever MLS Next Pro points, settling at 2-2 after 90 minutes.
The Monarchs played down a man for the majority of the second half. They nearly got the job done, but WFC2 midfielder Giovanni Aguilar registered a brace as a second-half substitute. At the same time, Monarch's winger Pedro Fonseca also notched two goals, but in penalty fashion. Scoring a brace is becoming a common theme at MLS NEXT Pro.
The thrilling four-goal affair set up a shootout where Whitecaps FC 2 took the spoils 3-1, thanks in big part to goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer saving two Monarchs shots.
The Story: Boehmer’s big saves
20-year-old Boehmer’s performance was not perfect, but it showed flashes of a star in the making.
MLS Next Pro is a developmental league, and the Whitecaps homegrown’s saves in the first half were equally flashy and crucial.
His lone mistake to draw the penalty showed bravery as he did not hesitate to take matters into his own hands when he saw a threat coming, and space for the Monarchs to get creative. You could argue that the ensuing concession made the play backfire in the end, but it lifted the energy on the field and WFC2 clearly benefitted from it as the two-goal outburst nearly got the job done when the game opened up.
In the shootout, Boehmer made amends for his two concessions in regular time (both penalties) by saving two shots to earn Whitecaps FC 2 the valuable extra point on the road.
Saturday’s performance follows a five-save Week 1 against Houston Dynamo 2, leaving Boehmer looking primed to be one of the stars in the inaugural MLS Next Pro goalkeeper class.
