LAFC2 extended its home unbeaten streak to twelve matches on Thursday night, defeating Sporting KC II, 2-1, at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, Calif. The victory was the Black & Gold’s second straight and improved the club to 9W-1L-3D at home this season.
Sebastian Nava opened the scoring in the 12th minute, finishing from the center of the box off an assist from Charlie Kosakoff. LAFC2 doubled its advantage 11 minutes later when Emir Ponciano scored from outside the box following a setup from Lisandro Torres, sending the Black & Gold into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
LAFC2 continued to create opportunities after the break, while goalkeeper Benjamin Failla made a pair of saves to preserve the two-goal advantage. Sporting KC II pulled one back in the 76th minute through Ty Haas, but the Black & Gold held firm over the closing stages to secure all three points.
The Black & Gold finished with an 18-12 advantage in shots and completed 500 passes at a 90.2 percent accuracy rate. Failla made four saves overall, while LAFC2 held a 6-3 edge in corner kicks.
The victory moved LAFC2 into fifth place in the MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference standings with 41 points from 23 matches, level on points with fourth-place Ventura County.
With five matches remaining, the Black & Gold holds an eight-point advantage over eighth-place Tacoma Defiance as the club continues its push toward a playoff berth. Austin FC II and Timbers2 have already clinched postseason spots in the Western Conference.
LAFC2 returns to action on Wednesday, August 26, when the club travels to face Whitecaps FC 2 at Swangard Stadium in suburban Vancouver, B.C. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. PT, and the match will be available on MLSNEXTPro.com.
