It was a long night for Rangers fans as the team traveled down to Mississippi to take on Brilla. The Stags fell 2-0 on a humid night after a storm had swept through the area, with kickoff being pushed back to 10 P.M. CT. This match was the second in a three match week for the Little Rock side, and after winning their previous two matches, the Stags went in looking for another positive result.

The Rangers started the match on the front foot when Lance Crabtree took the ball off a Brilla player in the 11th minute. Crabtree took a few touches toward goal before being brought down from behind about 28 yards out from goal. The Brilla player would be shown a yellow card and Crabtree was unable to continue as Adrian Quintero came on to relieve the Mississippi native.

The match was soon wide open when Brilla hit a long range effort into the bottom corner against the run of play. Turning the game on its head entirely, as the Rangers began defending much more than before. The goal, which came in the 34th minute came after an awkward touch from a Brilla player leading to the collision of Nyasha Dube who was attempting to make a play on the ball be stalled and unable to challenge for the ball. The Brilla player took one touch and fired the shot low away from Justin Hinman who was unable to see the shot due to the mix up of players in front of it. Just six minutes later, Spencer Barber had a chance with his left foot but couldn’t wrap the ball around the goalkeeper.

As the humidity got worse, the players really began to feel it, as the game began to stall in the second half. It kicked into gear in the 73rd minute when Spencer Barber was taken down inside the penalty area as the Rangers were awarded a penalty and a chance to equalize on the road. Jaden Hoth stepped up to take the penalty, which was saved by the Brilla goalkeeper. Mississippi Brilla found their second in the 83rd minute after a quick build up and counter-attack led to a one touch finish.

The Rangers currently sit mid-table with six points from six matches in the Mid-South Division in USL League Two. The Stags return home for a match against Round Rock SC on Saturday, June 12th with kickoff set for 7 P.M.