SANDY, Utah – Chandler Hoffman scored his 40th and 41st goals in the USL regular season as Real Monarchs took a 3-1 victory against OKC Energy FC at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday night to move five points clear at the top of the USL Western Conference. The Monarchs struck just eight minutes in as a chipped through-ball into the left channel by Nick Besler found Chase Minter, and his layoff to the top of the penalty area was crisply struck home into the right corner by Karsten Hanlin. Real continued to hold the upper hand in terms of possession, but OKC leveled in the 26th minute as Alex Dixon headed home his own rebound off the crossbar after a low cross by Andy Craven from the right set up the initial chance. Neither side was able to create many clear-cut chances for the remainder of the first half, but OKC’s Anthony Wallace forced a big save from Monarchs goalkeeper Connor Sparrow in the 69th minute with a low drive to the right corner. A minute later, Real took the lead as Chandler Hoffman scored his ninth goal of the season off a low cross from the right by Kyle Curinga. The Monarchs leading scorer then doubled the lead from the penalty spot after being brought down in the penalty area, a foul that saw Energy FC defender Coady Andrews shown a red card, and Real was able to see out its ninth consecutive home win dating back to last season.

Scoring: 
8’ – SLC – Karsten Hanlin (Chase Minter)
26’ – OKC – Alex Dixon
70’ – SLC – Chandler Hoffman (Kyle Curinga)
76’ – SLC – Chandler Hoffman (penalty)

• #SLCvOKC: Full Match and Opta Box Score

Three Things That Matter:

• 1. The Monarchs opened the game without three of their attacking leaders on the field, with both Charlie Adams and Sebastian Velasquez not included in the gameday 18. The depth the side has built came to the fore in a 10th consecutive home victory for Real dating back to last season as it moved five points clear of San Antonio FC after taking advantage of its game in hand on its nearest rival. Karsten Hanlin’s second goal of the season highlighted a positive all-around display that also saw the midfielder complete 48-of-55 passes and win three tackles as he fit in well alongside Nick Besler in the center of the park.

• 2. Chandler Hoffman’s introduction at the halftime break brought the desired result with 20 minutes to go as the standout forward’s 40th regular-season goal in the USL highlighted what has made him such a threat over the past four seasons. Real’s build-up play, which saw Karsten Hanlin slip a good pass wide for Kyle Curinga’s low cross, created the chance, but Hoffman’s perfectly timed step away from his marker to created two yards of space for the cross made the chance real as his first-time finish to the right corner allowed him to hit an impressive landmark.

• 3. Energy FC rebounded well after going behind early to Karsten Hanlin’s fine finish for Real, and looked in position to take points from the game as it had a pair of chances well defended by the Monarchs just after the hour-mark. Then in the final 20 minutes it went very wrong, with Hoffman’s two goals and Coady Andrews’ red card sending OKC home empty-handed. The red card to Andrews in particular will add an extra challenge for Energy FC, which will face Black Gold Derby rival Tulsa Roughnecks FC and its major aerial threat Ian Svantesson on Saturday. Mickey Daly in particular will have his hands full as OKC looks to jump-start its playoff push.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Chandler Hoffman, Real Monarchs SLC – Hoffman notched his 40th goal in the USL regular season, and added an insurance goal for good measure, as the Monarchs earned the victory.

Upcoming Games:
Real Monarchs SLC vs. Seattle Sounders FC 2 – July 8, 9 p.m. ET, Rio Tinto Stadium
OKC Energy FC vs. Tulsa Roughnecks FC – July 8, 8:30 p.m. ET, Taft Stadium