After a strong debut in the USL eCup Rocket League edition, Philadelphia Union II kept rolling to push to 2-0 overall in group play with a decisive victory over San Diego Loyal SC. The win coupled with Phoenix Rising's win over Toronto FC II early in the evening secures a berth in the knockout stage of the tournament.
Union II eCup team captain Evan Slabicki made just one change between the opening match and the primetime clash with San Diego, changing his car's antenna from the soccer ball to a good luck rubber ducky. The change paid dividends both offensively and defensively in the back-to-back wins.
Union II needed just seven seconds after the opening whistle to get the scoring started to continue the important trend of early goals setting the Union II tone. After growing a 5-0 lead two minutes into the contest, the Boys in Blue knocked in four goals in the 3rd minute of play to put the lead out of reach comfortable.
"Goal of tonight's match was to get a clean sheet," Slabicki said after allowing six total goals against Toronto FC II last week. The goal was accomplished in match one with the final Union II margin coming up 11-0.
Match two saw San Diego tighten up their play but Union II still score early with a 2-0 lead within the opening 60 seconds. In a back and forth affair, San Diego was able to end the shutout streak after 8 minutes of gameplay to make the match 3-1 with just under two minutes to play.
With the match still up for grabs, Union II's captain showcased calmed determination to knock in four goals inside the final minute to remain unbeaten and secure a berth into the knockout round of the tournament.
Group play concludes Thursday, April 9th, with a showdown for the top spot in Group 3 against Phoenix Rising. The clash will kick off at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN3.
