KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Swope Park Rangers got a goal and three assists from Kevin Oliveira as they took a 4-0 win against Rio Grande Valley FC (5-3-4, 19pts) that snapped the Toros’ six-game undefeated streak on Wednesday night. The Rangers (4-5-2, 14pts) had the better of the game early, and took control midway through the first half as Mark-Anthony Gonzalez notched a pair of goals four minutes apart, both off assists by Oliveira. Celebrating his 20th birthday, Oliveira added a third before the halftime break with a low shot to the left corner, and then notched his third assist of the contest with 20 minutes to go as he set up Daniel Salloi to score his fourth goal of the season moments after coming on as a substitute.

Scoring:
23’ – SPR – Mark-Anthony Gonzalez (Kevin Oliveira)
27’ – SPR – Mark-Anthony Gonzalez (Kevin Oliveira)
43’ – SPR – Kevin Oliveira (Ualefi)
70’ – SPR – Daniel Salloi (Kevin Oliveira)

Three Things That Matter:

• 1. After a tough run of form on the road, it was going to be important for the Rangers to get out to a good start to build some confidence, and they did just that with some excellent interplay in the midfield that put continued pressure on the Toros. Mark-Anthony Gonzalez put away two good finishes to drive that advantage home off assists from Kevin Oliveira – who added a third for good measure before the break – that put Swope Park in the driver’s seat for victory.

• 2. As well as the Rangers played in the opening 45 minutes, the Toros looked a shadow of the side that had gone undefeated in its past six games overall, and hadn’t lost on the road since the opening game of the season. RGVFC struggled to string together passes, and when the game became stretched, the Rangers were able to take full advantage with two good counter-attacking goals that cemented their advantage.

• 3. Kevin Oliveira has been one of the more consistent players for the Rangers this season, recording the fourth-most minutes on the team entering the contest as an ever-present in the lineup, while also being one of the younger players in the squad. He celebrated his 20th birthday in style on Wednesday night, recording a goal and three assists, something that Coach Marc Dos Santos will be hoping was a breakout performance for the young Cape Verdean midfielder.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Kevin Oliveira, Swope Park Rangers – Oliveira was influential throughout the contest, as evidenced by his three assists and one goal, leading the Rangers to a second consecutive victory on home turf, and a modicum of revenge after the Toros’ win in the first meeting between the teams.

Upcoming Games:

June 12: Swope Park Rangers at Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, 5 p.m. ET, Thunderbird Stadium

June 11: Rio Grande Valley FC vs. OKC Energy FC, 8:30 p.m. ET, UT RGV Soccer Complex