Serpentines glide past Roots into the conference semifinals

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Jairo Henriquez and Ronaldo Damus scored goals on either side of halftime as Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC earned a 2-0 win over Oakland Roots SC at Weidner Field on Saturday night to advance to the Western Conference quarterfinals of the USL Championship presented by Terminix Playoffs 2024 moved in.

The Switchbacks will host Orange County SC in the Western Conference semifinals next Saturday night at Weidner Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.

Neither team could do much in the first half hour as both Oakland's Justin Rasmussen and Colorado Springs' Tyreek Magee had half-chances go wide, but Roots goalkeeper Paul Blanchette was called into action in the 35th minute when he was forced into a good save after a corner was redirected towards goal by teammate Neveal Hackshaw as he aimed for a header.

Five minutes before halftime, however, the Switchbacks struck through Henriquez. The Salvadoran international burst from midfield and combined with Damus before laying a pass to Zach Zandi, and when his shot was partially blocked, he fell back into the path of Henriquez, who finished confidently.

Colorado Springs had a chance to double its lead with a penalty spot in the 11th minute of the second half after Damus was found to have been pulled to the ground by his opponent in the penalty area while attempting to block a cross from Aiden Rocha. The Haitian international stepped up and fired into the right corner, past Blanchette's save, to score his 13th goal of the season.

Roots tried to mount a comeback and with five minutes left, Dom Dwyer played a back pass that sent Ilya Alekseev to the right side of the penalty area, but Christian Herrera parried the hosts flat. The Switchbacks, meanwhile, threatened to extend their lead into stoppage time, but were ultimately able to secure a comfortable home win.