PHOENIX – Amadou Dia could not have picked a better time for his first goal of the season as his 78th minute header helped give Phoenix Rising FC a 2-0 win over Seattle Sounders FC 2 at Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex on Saturday night. AJ Gray made a strong run in to the penalty area, beating three defenders before his shot deflected to Dia, who headed home well. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Phoenix forward Jason Johnson snuck in and stole possession from S2 keeper Tyler Miller, allowing him an easy run in to goal and a simple tap-in to finish the match. Only a stunning save from Miller had kept the scores level in the 24th minute as Chris Cortez got a shot away for Phoenix but Miller got to it at full stretch to keep the match scoreless. Zach Mathers should have given S2 the opener in the 72nd minute as a deflected shot left the midfielder with an open net but he could only find the post, a costly miss as Phoenix went on to win the match with two late goals

Scoring:
78’ – PHX – Amadou Dia
90+' – PHX – Jason Johnson 

• #PHXvSEA: Full Match and Opta Box Score

Three Things That Matter:

• 1. Defense has not been the strong point for Rising FC this season as it has struggled to keep clean sheets all season. With the scoreless draw against Seattle Sounders FC 2, Phoenix recorded just its third clean sheet of the season.
• 2. Phoenix dominated the aerial battles, and probably should have taken more advantage by getting the ball in the air more. Rising FC won 65 percent of the aerial battles in the match but could not convert that in to creating chances, and getting the goals needed until late in the match.
• 3. S2 built a strong possession advantage of 61.1 percent largely because of their alertness defensively. That was reflected in the number of interceptions they secured, with S2 picking off possession 13 times, but the visitors couldn’t convert those interceptions into goals.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Amadou Dia, Phoenix Rising FC – Amadou Dia came on in the 69th minute and changed a game which looked to be heading to a scoreless draw. Dia was constantly running up the wings and looking for goals, managing to get his first of the season to win the match for Phoenix.

Upcoming Games:
Phoenix Rising FC vs. Orange County SC – September 6, 10:30p.m. ET, Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex
Seattle Sounders FC 2 vs. Reno 1868 FC – September 10, 10p.m. ET, Starfire Sports Complex