The reigning USL champions, New York Red Bulls II, slipped up again, this time losing in a thrilling 3-2 match to St. Louis FC.

The scoring began very early on, as Christian Volesky scored the opening goal in the third minute. He won the ball on the left side of the penalty area, and scored on a tight angle, sending the ball into the opposite corner.

St. Louis kept the lead for the rest of the half, setting up for a highly entertaining second half that saw four goals. Last year’s Rookie of the Year, Brandon Allen, leveled the score for the away side  in the 52nd. Following him up was Vincent Bezecourt, with a goal six minutes later that led to New York Red Bulls II holding the lead for the first time in the match.

However, the lead was short-lived, as Tim Schmoll conceded a penalty scored by Jose Angulo, formerly of the Red Bulls’ senior team, in the 74th minute. An impressive goal from Seth Rudolph ten minutes later saw the three points go St. Louis’ way.

Here’s a closer look at more of this weekend’s USL action:

PHOENIX EARNS FIRST WIN

Phoenix Rising opened the season with losses to Toronto FC II and Real Monarchs, but on Saturday, their fate finally changed. However, it did not seem that way at first.

The first goal of Phoenix’s 2-1 win was actually scored by their opponents, LA Galaxy II. After a scoreless first half, Adonis Amaya ended the deadlock with a goal in the 52nd minute.

LA Galaxy II were not in the lead very long, as eight minutes later, they conceded a penalty. Luke Rooney stepped up to take the penalty and scored the equalizer. It was Rooney again who scored the game’s final goal in the 78th minute, earning his team the victory.

Sacramento Remain Perfect

The top team in USL’s Western Conference, Sacramento Republic, made it three wins out of three on Saturday, as they beat Tulsa Roughnecks 2-1.

Sacramento took the lead in the 48th minute through Wilson Kneeshaw, which was followed by a goal from Tyler Blackwood in the 67th minute. Joey Calistri’s 80th minute strike for the Roughnecks did little damage, as Sacramento won anyway.

Sacramento join Real Monarchs, who did not play this weekend, at the top of the Western Conference, both with three wins out of three. The Tampa Bay Rowdies also have a perfect record this season, beating Ottawa Fury 1-0 this weekend.

Here are the weekend’s other results:

Toronto FC II 0-0 Rochester Rhinos

San Antonio FC 1-1 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

Richmond Kickers 0-1 Louisville City FC

Vancouver Whitecaps II 3-0 Seattle Sounders FC II

Charleston Battery 1-2 Pittsburgh Riverhounds

Orlando City B 1-1 Charlotte Independence

OKC Engergy FC 0-1 Rio Grande Valley FC

Portland Timbers II 1-2 Orange County SC

Bethlehem Steel 2-0 FC Cincinatti