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PROVO — Alec Sundly felt the need to score goals during the first half of Real Monarchs' inaugural USL season, but they didn't come.
He tried to shake off that need Wednesday night.
Sundly scored two second-half goals to help the Monarchs rally for a 3-2 win over BYU in an interleague friendly to celebrate the Cougars' senior night at South Field.
"I haven't gotten much during the season, so I know the guys have been pushing me to work extra hard after training," Sundly said. "Hopefully I can get the confidence from this game and bring it into next week against Orange County."
BYU struck first with a goal from outgoing senior Garrett Gee just six minutes into the match. The business ace collected a long ball from teammate Pedro Vasconcelos on the right wing and rushed at goal to chip one in over goalkeeper Victor Rodriguez and put BYU up 1-0 in its season finale, which was being played after PDL club Real Colorado forfeited Wednesday night's match with travel concerns.
Recent Alta High graduate Christian Bain added another 40th minute, opening his BYU account with a strike-through traffic set up by Vasconcelos' cross inside the box. Bain danced around the back line of the Monarchs, who started out with a lineup made up mostly of RSL-Arizona Academy players and trialists with the USL club in the opening 45 minutes. Former BYU forward Garrett Losee and Provo native Maikon Orellana also started for the Monarchs among several trialists, including former Sporting Kansas City draft pick James Rogers.
BYU is a good team, and they came out so that it wasn't easy. They put two on us early. It was good for us to come on and make a difference. For us, this time gives us momentum coming in from the last week to make sure we put in a good performance. I think just helps us get prepared for next week.
–Real Monarchs midfielder Alec Sundly
"BYU is a good team, and they came out so that it wasn't easy. They put two on us early," Sundly said. "It was good for us to come on and make a difference. For us, this time gives us momentum coming in from the last week to make sure we put in a good performance. I think just helps us get prepared for next week."
The Monarchs, who just recorded their second win in USL play Saturday against Austin, made a wholesale substitution at the hour mark by putting the regular starters into the match. Just minutes before, academy product Johnny Caparelli pulled one back for the Salt Lake side off a free kick in the five minutes into the second half. Caparelli sat over the set piece at the edge of the penalty box, then bent a ball around the left side of the wall and squeezed it inside the far post to pull within, 2-1.
From there, the Monarchs regulars took over. Sundly scored his first goal in the 80th minute, sending a ball past substitute goalkeeper Brenden Ottman to equalize at 2-2.
"I thought the group responded after halftime, and the group that came on in the 60th minute made the difference," said Monarchs assistant Bingy Lara, who made his head coaching debut in filling in for Freddy Juarez. "It was great to see younger guys from the RSL system come on and do well."
The 23-year-old Sundly added his second by cleaning up Lucas Baldin's corner kick into the box two minutes later, and the Monarchs held off a late surge by BYU to escape with the victory.
Winston Sorhaitz nearly pulled BYU level, but his put-back goal from inside the box was judged offside in the third minute of stoppage time.
Real Monarchs return to USL play Saturday, July 25, at Orange County Blues FC. The two teams will turn around for a rematch Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium.
