In a rare Wednesday night contest, several Quakes’ First Team players helped Reno 1868 FC cruise past Rio Grande Valley FC 4-0.
Three members of the San Jose Earthquakes were named to the starting lineup, with goalkeeper Matt Bersano, defender Jimmy Ockford and midfielder Chris Wehan each making the mid-week trip to northern Nevada. Midfielders Eric Calvillo and Gilbert Fuentes, as well as forward Mo Thiaw, also made appearances for the club off the bench.
Wehan, the 2017 USL Rookie of the Year and Assists Champion, picked up where he left off last season, tallying the team’s second goal and assisting on the third. Thiaw, a 2018 SuperDraft selection from the University of Louisville, scored the fourth and final goal just seven minutes after subbing on.
The Bersano-Ockford combination also led Reno to their second shutout in their last three league matches.
The crucial three points puts Reno in seventh place, level on points with eight-place Saint Louis and six points clear of ninth-place San Antonio. The top eight teams from each conference make the postseason. Reno’s +12 goal-differential is currently third best of 17 teams in the USL Western Conference.
The club has four matches remaining and could clinch a playoff spot as soon as this weekend. Reno hosts the Tulsa Roughnecks – currently in 16th place with a 3-15-12 record – while San Antonio hosts Seattle Sounders FC. Should 1868 FC win and San Antonio drop points, Reno would punch their ticket to the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
