Phoenix Rising reclaim win streak against Sacramento Republic FC on dollar beer night

Cheers to victory! Beneath a starlit sky and the aura of dollar beers, Phoenix Rising FC blazed past the top seed in the USL Championship Western Conference at home Wednesday night, fueling their playoff push on a memorable $1 Beer Night.

With eight games left in the season, securing the 2-1 victory over Sacramento Republic FC propelled the Rising into sixth place in the West standings, pushing themselves three points clear of the playoff cutoff.

After winning 16 straight Dollar Beer Night games dating back to 2017, the phenomenon came to an end in May against Las Vegas Lights FC. On Wednesday, the Rising rekindled the triumphant tradition.

During a seemingly uneventful first half, the Rising weren't short of opportunities, delivering multiple crosses into the box. Yet, Phoenix struggled to convert, with all crosses ending up in the hands of Republic goalkeeper Daniel Vitiello.

Recognizing Sacramento's standing at the top, the first half wasn't short of chippy plays and cautious decisions, making this match difficult for both sides. Given the reluctance of both squads to engage in irreplaceable gambles that could result in conceding a goal, the first half winds up finishing in a 0-0 draw.

"You're playing the number one team in the USL. In professional soccer, at times it's hard," Rising coach Juan Guerra said. "You have to stay patient because that's what teams want. They want you to get desperate, they want you to take an extra risk that at times is not necessary, and then they catch you in transition. So the boys understood the moments to go."

The beginning of the second half would follow a similar pattern as both teams show hesitancy in conceding the initial goal. That all changed in the 60th minute.

After receiving a pass at midfield, Federico Varela slipped a beautiful ball into the box, finding Gavi Torres wide open. Torres then sent in a left-foot pass to Manuel Arteaga in the center of the box, who finished the fast break with a right-foot strike to the back of the net.

Almost immediately thereafter, a costly turnover by Sacramento's back line at midfield during the 64th minute initiated a decisive counterattack, with Danny Trejo delivering the finishing blow.

Beyond providing the Rising a 2-0 lead, the goals by Trejo and Arteaga impacted the race for the USL's Golden Boot. Trejo now shares the top spot with 14 goals, with Arteaga following closely with 13.

"Sometimes the game changes," midfielder Darnell King said. "Sometimes players get frustrated and they leave openings, fatigue kicks in and guys get forward. When you have two lethal strikers, when they get around the box dangerous things can happen."

A hiccup during a corner kick in the 84th minute thrashed the Rising's hopes of maintaining a shutout, resulting in Shane Wiedt header to the back of the net.

As the match reached its final moments, Carlos Harvey was given one final yellow card in the 93rd minute, bringing the total number of yellows in the game to six, to go along with 27 fouls.

The match came to an end with Phoenix goalie Rocco Rios Novo blocking Sacramento's final shot in the 95th minute, securing the 2-1 victory. The crowd went wild as the team not only celebrated a critical win on Dollar Beer Night, but also honored Darnell King's 100th match with the club and Jose Hernandez's 150th USL appearance.

The Rising's two-game homestand wraps up against Rio Grande Valley FC at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in a 6-versus-10 matchup carrying substantial playoff implications.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Rising retake win streak against Sacramento Republic FC