RENO, Nev. – The USL’s all-time goal scoring leader is showing no signs of a letdown. Neither is Reno 1868 FC overall as Dane Kelly notched his second consecutive hat trick to lead the club to a 6-0 victory against Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Saturday in front of a crowd of 5,711 at Greater Nevada Field. It also marked Reno’s first home victory, a strong follow-up performance to the organization’s first win overall at Phoenix Rising FC. Kelly scored three times in that 4-0 win on May 6. He was subbed out at halftime after scoring three goals in a seven-minute span. Lindo Mfeka, Seth Casiple and Jimmy Ockford each added a goal for 1868 FC in the club’s dominating performance, with Ockford’s coming in second-half stoppage time. Seattle didn’t help matters, though, on the defensive end. With Reno leading 2-0, Seattle’s Rodrigue Ele picked up a second caution in the first half and subsequently was sent off. Reno improved to 2-3-2 (8 points) overall and moved to 1-1-2 at home. Seattle drops to 4-5-1 (13 points) overall and 2-2-1 on the road.

Scoring:

28’ – RNO – Dane Kelly (Brent Richards)

32’ – RNO – Dane Kelly (penalty)

35’ – RNO – Dane Kelly (penalty)

44’ – RNO – Lindo Mfeka (Antoine Hoppenot)

48’ – RNO – Seth Casiple (Dembakwi Yomba)

90’+2 – RNO – Jimmy Ockford (Junior Burgos)

Three Things That Mattered:

1. Dane Kelly is scoring at a clip that even he is not used to. Reno’s first signing has now scored six goals in a two-game stretch and eight for the season, upping his USL-record all-time total to 56. The opening tally set up by Brent Richards was unquestionably the most fashionable of Kelly’s night. Richards’ cross from the right was placed just out of reach of Seattle’s defense and Kelly had the easier task of running on and slotting the ball inside the right post in the 28th minute. Kelly was poised on both of his PK attempts, going the same direction on both occasions to the left of the frame in the 32nd and 35th minutes to quickly take a 3-0 lead.

2. Aside from Kelly’s heroics, Reno showcased a number of attacking options, including Kelly’s halftime replacement Dembakwi Yomba. Yomba provided a looping cross from the left of the box to connect with Seth Casiple, who ran in and fired inside the right post for a 5-0 advantage. South African midfielder Lindo Mfeka, on loan from the San Jose Earthquakes, also got into the scoring act with a 44th-minute tally to capitalize on a giveaway by S2 and notch his first of the season with Reno.

3. While Reno’s offense deserves plenty of credit, S2’s defense made matters difficult for itself. Rodrigue Ele picked up two yellow cards in the midst of the goal scoring and forced Seattle to play with 10 men for nearly an hour. Seattle committed two fouls in the box and had some lackluster marking. Reno was able to take advantage of a number of ways in breaking down S2. The six goals conceded tie for the most in a game in S2 history, matching the 6-0 defeat to Rio Grande Valley FC on Aug. 13, 2016.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match:

Dane Kelly, Reno 1868 FC – Kelly notched his second consecutive hat trick as he and Reno put Seattle away early Saturday.