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SANDY — Real Salt Lake didn’t play its first-team starters in Tuesday night’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match with the Wilmington Hammerheads.
But as is customary in North American knockout tournaments of any sport, they did just enough to survive — and advance.
RSL rallied from two goals down in the second half, and held off third-division Wilmington 3-1 via penalty kicks in a U.S. Open Cup fourth-round match at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Juan Manuel Martinez gave RSL a 1-0 lead in the shootout as the Hammerheads missed two of their first three attempts before Chris Wingert clinched the 3-1 shootout victory. Joao Plata also added a penalty conversion for RSL, and Jeff Attinella made a big save to set up the game-winner for RSL.
RSL peppered Wilmington with nine shots in the extra period, but Hammerheads goalkeeper John Smits dived left, right and low to keep the third-division side level in extra time.
Martinez equalized at 2-2 with just three minutes remaining in regulation to send the game into extra time. The Argentine striker curled a ball into the back of the net to rally the MLS squad that was on its heels for portions of the second half.
Wilmington took a 1-0 lead into halftime through Mael Corboz’s goal in the 34th minute, and Jeff Michaud gave the Hammerheads a 2-0 lead around the hour mark as the third-division USL side looked to spring the upset in U.S. Soccer’s national tournament.
But second-half substitute Joao Plata pulled one back off a cheeky assist from former Wilmington midfielder Luke Mulholland in the 65th minute.
Joao Plata with a golazo for @RealSaltLake in @opencup match against Wilmington pic.twitter.com/KvjOVxmqC3 — Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) June 15, 2016
The diminutive Ecuadorian found Martinez for the equalizer in the 86th minute, and the two sides played through 30 minutes of extra time without a game-winning goal.
An urgent RSL outshot the lower-division side 20-7, but only put seven of those shots on target. Wilmington, meanwhile, stuck to possession and quick strikes with five of its seven shots on frame to go along with the two goals.
RSL was playing at Rio Tinto Stadium for the first time since April 30, a 2-1 win over Houston in MLS play. Stadium officials were replacing the turf at the stadium, an exercise that bore fruit in Tuesday’s Open Cup opener on a clean surface.
RSL returns to MLS play Saturday when it hosts the Portland Timbers.
