Reno 1868 FC is heading to the USL Cup Playoffs for the second straight season after a Wednesday night road win against Portland Timbers 2. This win, which swept the three-match series with Portland, moved Reno up to fifth place in the USL’s Western Conference.
Defender Duke Lacroix scored his first goal of his first season with Reno in the 36th minute from close range.
Reno was dominating Portland during the first half, nearly making it 2-0 in the 40th minute off a header from Brian Brown. However the club ended the first half 1-0, and spent much of the second half defending an energized Timbers 2 squad.
In the 85th minute, forward Jochen Graf scored his first goal for Reno off an assist by Antoine Hoppenot. This was Hoppenot’s 13th assist of the season, breaking Chris Wehan’s record of 12 set back in 2017.
Reno will now have the opportunity to climb into the Top 4 in the West and grab a home playoff spot in the clubs last two matches of the season. This Saturday at 7:30 PT, Reno will head to Arizona to take on Phoenix Rising SC.
