By Aldo Amato,

RENO, Nev. – Reno 1868 FC closed out the preseason at Greater Nevada Field with a 1-0 win over defending Western Conference champs, Real Monarchs SLC on Wednesday night.

San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Tommy Thompson converted a penalty kick in the 89th minute to help capture the late, narrow win over the Monarchs. Thompson headlined an Earthquakes-heavy lineup Wednesday as Reno found multiple ways to gel more as a club a week out of its regular season opener.

Wednesday’s match was primarily a defensive grind between Reno and Salt Lake City with San Jose’s most recent Homegrown goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski making multiple saves and keeping the clean sheet for 1868 FC.

The Homegrown Player Rule is a Major League Soccer program that allows MLS teams to sign local players from their own development academies directly to MLS first team rosters.

Reno had multiple chances in both halves but couldn’t find the net off of half a dozen headed attempts.

Thompson’s converted PK sealed a well-earned win for Reno heading into their USL regular season opener against Swope Park Rangers on March 17 at 4 p.m. at Greater Nevada Field.

Tickets for that match are available at Reno1868FC.com/Tickets. The first 1,868 fans will receive a leprechaun hat in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Saturday’s regular season opener is presented by Reno News & Review and Dolan Auto Group.

Post Match Quotes

On the penalty…

“I think a few guys got fouled on that play actually. I thought the PK was warranted and I just finished it off to the right.”

To get a win against the Western Conference champs...

“I think it was a good result for us against a good team. We can build on that going forward.”

On keeping a clean sheet against Real Monarchs SLC…

“They have some good players and you know they are going to put you on your back foot throughout the game. But we held strong defensively and JT did well.”