Sacramento, Calif. – Reno 1868 FC couldn’t seem to get the job done in either of Saturday’s preseason friendlies against Donner Pass Derby rival Sacramento Republic FC. Reno fell 4-1 the first match and 1-0 the second.

In the first contest of the day, Reno’s defense experienced difficulties in the first half when Sacramento was able to find the back of the net in the 16th, 30th, and 42nd minutes. Reno saw a spark in the second half with a goal by forward Brian Brown in the 78th minute, but Sacramento answered minutes after when forward Stefano Bonomo scored.

“The first half was definitely not how we wanted to come out for that game and I think at halftime everybody knew that it wasn’t good enough,” defender Brent Richards said after the match. “We were committed to making it a better second half and we think it was, but obviously it’s 90 minutes and it just wasn’t good enough from the start.”

“I felt like we didn’t come out strong in the first half and we were second to everything.” Head Coach Ian Russell said. “Second half was a bit better, but the damage had already been done in the first half, they were up 3-0 and we couldn’t really recover.”

The second match of the day was played by a mix of contracted players and trialists for both clubs. Numerous shots on goal were put up by both sides, but a goal by Sacramento Republic FC midfielder Hayden Partain in the 85th minute proved to be the difference.

“It was good to get touches on the ball and play with some of the young guys” forward Corey Hertzog said. “It was a good run, we just got unlucky in the end.”

Reno’s season officially kicks off March 9 inside Greater Nevada Field against Orange County SC. The team is looking for a win after Orange County knocked them out of the second round of the 2018 USL Cup Playoffs. For tickets visit Reno1868FC.com or the Greater Nevada Field ticket office.