Blitzz respond, blank Boulder

BOULDER, Colo. — There's life in the Utah Blitzz after all.

A week after coach Chris Agnello publicly criticized some of his veteran players following the Blitzz's home loss last weekend, many of those same players responded to the challenge in Utah's 3-0 win over the Boulder Rapid Reserves Saturday night.

"It was a good performance for a team that needed it desperately," said Agnello.

The win snapped Utah's three-game losing skid, and the timing couldn't have been better. Utah travels to Fresno this Wednesday to take on the Fuego in the second-round of the U.S. Open Cup. Fresno is one of the hottest teams in the country, and the last thing the Blitzz needed was the extra pressure of a losing streak.

It didn't take the Blitzz long to jump ahead of the Rapid Reserves Saturday. Adolfo Ovalle buried a penalty kick in the fifth minute after Alejandro Gutierrez was tackled in the box.

Twenty minutes later, the Blitzz went ahead 2-0 on an incredible side-scissor volley from rookie Shane Curran.

"It was a very special goal," said Agnello.

Despite the comfortable lead, the Blitzz were forced to work even harder when defender Rich Breza was red-carded for kicking a Boulder player while he was on the ground.

Even with one less player, Agnello felt Utah still dictated the game's pace. The Blitzz sealed the victory as Gutierrez buried a penalty kick in the 80th minute after Jorge Estrada was fouled in the box.

"We got a good response from us challenging some players to step up and play better," said Agnello.