U.S. Open Cup Game Report

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

DENVER - Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s run in the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup came to a close as the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer took a 4-1 win in the Fourth Round contest on Tuesday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Dillon Serna scored twice for the Rapids, as the Switchbacks finished the game with 10 men.

“The guys showed very well tonight and we will take a lot of positives out of this game,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh. “We keep playing with this heart and determination, we will win a lot of games.”

This was the first meeting between these two Colorado clubs and the contest was heated right from the start. The Rapids took the lead in the 26th minute when Dominique Badji got past the Switchbacks defense. Rookie Joseph Greenspan doubled the Rapids’ lead in the 32nd minute as he headed home a free kick.

Colorado Springs was reduced to 10 men in the 62nd minute when a foul by Switchbacks’ Josh Phillips saw the defender awarded a red card to put the Switchbacks down a man.

Just a few minutes later, the Rapids capitalized on the Switchbacks’ loss of a man and Serna bagged his first of the night.

Jordan Burt scored in stoppage time for the Switchbacks to make it 3-1 late on, but Serna replied to restore the Rapids’ three-goal lead moments before the final whistle.

“I was fortunate enough to get the ball inside the box with plenty of time and was able to slot it away, but regardless of the goal, I was proud of how the team played,” said Burt.

The Switchbacks return to USL play on Friday night when the club travels to play Saint Louis FC.

“Although we lost, it’s still a blessing by God that we get to fight and battle in the sport we love,” said Switchbacks midfielder Davy Armstrong. “We’ve just got to keep our heads up and take what we’ve learned in this game to St. Louis and win.”

For more information about the Switchbacks FC, or to purchase tickets, go to our website at switchbacksfc.com. Fans can also follow the team on Facebook www.facebook.com/switchbacksfc or Twitter @SwitchbacksFC.