Phoenix Rising defeats Orange County, advances to USL Championship

Phoenix Rising FC got off to a quick start against Orange County SC Saturday night, taking home the 2-1 win in the USL Western Conference Final.

No more than 66 seconds into the match, Phoenix was on the board thanks to Chris Cortez.

76 seconds.

Welcome to the Western Conference Final! #OCvPHX | #USLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/7Stvy0CEkG

— USL (@USL) November 4, 2018

Not only did it give Phoenix the early lead, but it also put Cortez in the record books.

With his shot, Cortez netted the fastest goal in USL-playoff history.

But even though the Rising held the early 1-0 lead, they had the ball for just 30 percent of the time in the first half, managing just four shots. Orange County had 11 shots while possessing the ball for the majority of the half.

In the second half, Phoenix would be hit with an injury as Cortez fell to the ground with an apparent leg injury.

The Rising wouldn’t miss a beat, however, as Didier Drogba found the back of the net in the 73rd minute.

THIS IS OUR KING #UpRising pic.twitter.com/meWMhukZX3

— (x)-Phoenix Rising FC (@PHXRisingFC) November 4, 2018

Orange County would answer back in the 82nd minute off of a Koji Hashimoto goal.

Phoenix didn’t record the shutout, but they took home the 2-1 win to advance to the USL Cup.

In the championship match, Phoenix will face off against Louisville City FC at Lynn Stadium in Kentucky on Thursday. Louisville, the defending USL champions, finished second in the regular-season Eastern Conference standings with 66 points.

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