Monarchs fight back for a 1-1 draw in Fresno

Real Monarchs SLC came out with 5 players down on assignment from Real Salt Lake including recent signing Kelyn Rowe who made his debut in cobalt. David Ochoa, Tate Schmitt. Douglas Martinez also rejoined the team after an productive absence with the Honduran U-23 side in Olympic Qualifying and the Pan American Games.

Fresno FC came out in a 3-4-2-1 formation in an attempt to clog the midfield and set up their vaunted counter-attacking offense. This approach worked well through out the first half as the Monarchs struggled to get into the offensive third and failed to get a shot on goal.

Despite a slight lead in possession at halftime, it took a strong performance by Ochoa in goal to limit the damage to a single goal on a beautiful header off a low cross by Jaime Martinez in the 38th minute.

The second half started much the same with the Monarchs having a lot of undirected possession and failing to mount any real challenges. However, Douglas Martinez changed the course of the match in the 71st minute by taking a half chance and putting a nice finish past C. J. Cochran to level the score at 1-1.

The Monarchs continued to drive play and develop attacking chances for the remainder of the match, but were unable to take a late lead. While it did little to increase their paltry average of a single goal per match on the road, the Monarchs will feel good with their point and a chance to return home before heading back out to Orange County next weekend.