MNUFC2 earned a crucial two points on the road Wednesday night, capturing the 4-3 shootout victory over Real Monarchs after finishing regulation in a 0-0 draw. First Team goalkeeper Kayne Rizvanovich recorded the clean sheet on the back of four saves in Utah. MNUFC2 returns home on Sunday to host LAFC2 in Blaine, Minnesota during the final game of the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro regular season, with the chance to earn a berth into the postseason on the line.
9’ - MNUFC2 created the first scoring opportunity of the match when midfielder Kage Romanshyn Jr. took a shot from distance. His shot landed near the crossbar, but was stopped by Real Monarchs goalkeeper Max Kerkvliet.
20’ - The home side saw their first chance of the night when Zach Lifferth possessed the ball and took it into the left side of MNUFC2’s box before he passed it off to Isaac Murphy. But, Twos defender Philip Tarnue intervened and his slide tackle broke up the play.
33’ - At the start of the promising attack, Minnesota forward Luke Hille sent a through-ball pass to Jordan Adebayo-Smith deep into Real Monarchs’ defending third. The striker passed it back to Hille who quickly connected with defender Sam Vigilante on the left flank. Vigilante fired off a close-range shot but it was saved by Kerkvliet.
39’ - Owen Anderson nearly scored the opener for the Salt Lake City side when he curled a shot from just outside the box, ultimately hitting the crossbar and deflecting back into play. Then a few seconds later inside the box, Felix Ewald’s flick-on header was stopped when Rizvanovich made a diving save to the left.
55’ - Adebayo-Smith beat out the Real Monarchs back line after he connected with a long ball over top of the defense, but was unable to fully control the touch while Monarchs’ goalkeeper Kerkvliet was forced well off his line to make the stop. He missed that block and Adebayo-Smith’s attempt at a shot on an open goal missed just wide of the post.
67’ - Rizvanovich made another save, stopping a shot towards the upper-left corner of the net by Lifferth.
GOALS
None
SHOOTOUT SUMMARY
MNUFC2
Luke Hille - Goal
Jack Clarkson - Goal
Jakob Friedman - Goal
Hector Cruz - Goal
SLC
Nicholas Silva - Goal
Ruben Mesalles - Missed
Handwalla Bwana - Goal
Lionel Djiro - Goal
Izahi Amparo - Missed
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
MNUFC2 - Jack Clarkson (caution) - 55’
SLC - Isaac Murphy (caution) - 90’ + 3’
TEAM LEADERS (Updated through September 12, 2026)
Goals – Darius Randell (12)
Assists – Darius Randell (5)
Saves – Kristers Bite (37)
Wins – Kristers Bite, Keane Perkins (4)
Shutouts – Keane Perkins (3)
NOTABLE STATS
6 - With the draw tonight against Real Monarchs, MNUFC2 extended its unbeaten streak to six-straight games.
1 - MNUFC Academy defender Brody Schauf made his first start for MNUFC2.
LINEUPS
MNUFC2 XI: GK Kayne Rizvanovich; D Sam Vigilante, Jack Clarkson, Philip Tarnue, Brody Schauf (Nick Dang 74’); M Luciano Pechota, Kage Romanshyn Jr. (Hector Cruz 74’), Max Harwood (Alpha Kabia 74’); F Jordan Adabayo-Smith (Darius Randell 74’), Troy Putt (Jakob Friedman 74’), Luke Hille ©
Substitutes Not Used: GK Alex Witte; D Mo Bojang; M Cal Grulke
Real Monarchs XI: GK Max Kerkvliet ©; D Dylan Kropp, Liam O’Gara (Ruben Mesalles 63’), Hayden Sargis (Gio Villa 70’), Linkon Ream; M Isaac Murphy, Izahi Amparo, Owen Anderson (Nicholas Silva 63’), Rylan Hashimoto (Handwalla Bwana 80’); F Felix Ewald, Zach Lifferth (Lionel Djiro 80’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Robert Alphin; D Luis Rivera; F Diego Rocio, Chance Cowell
