Swope Park Rangers come up short in USL Cup Final

The Swope Park Rangers fall in a devastating 5-1 loss to New York Red Bulls II in the 2016 USL Cup Final. Derrick Etienne Jr., Brandon Allen, Vincent Bezecourt scored for New York and Tomas Granitto had the lone goal scored for the Rangers.

Both sides came out strong but cautious, getting a feel for their opponent’s talents but the Red Bulls grabbed control and dominated the first half. Etienne opened the scoresheet for the Red Bulls when he shot a rocket past Zendejas in the 18th minute. Tyrpak would have a chance to equalize in the 23rd but his attempt flew over the goal.

Bezecourt attempted to add to the scoresheet for New York with a close-range shot, but Zendejas was quick to deny it. However, Allen would add a second goal to the scoresheet in the 39th minute. The Red Bulls continued to put on the pressure while taking the 2-0 lead into the half.

The Rangers came out in the second half hungry for a chance to regain control. They would dominate the first part of the half with Ayrton firing wide from 20 yards out. The first 10 minutes would be filled with continuous attempts from the Rangers to try to pull a goal back.

Granitto would finally open the scoresheet for the Rangers on a free kick. The two teams clashed bodies in the box but Granitto’s low shot slid through to the bottom corner in the 74th minute. His goal briefly sparked life back into the game for the Rangers to continue the fight. However, in a tough battle, Allen would add a third goal to the score board. It would be his second goal of the night.

Moments later, Allen completed his hat trick putting the Red Bulls up 4-1. The final goal came from Bezecourt with a cross from Etienne Jr. earning the Red Bulls a 5-1 victory.