Photo by Peter G. Aiken/ USA Today Sports

By SKYLAR ROLSTAD

An unlikely scorer proved to be the difference that lifted Sporting KC to the U.S. Open Cup final.

Soni Mustivar claimed the equalizing goal with a 35th minute header past Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando Wednesday night in a 3-1 win over RSL to advance to the US Open Cup semifinal.

Benny Feilhaber and Krisztian Nemeth’s goals in the 80th and 85th minutes were the difference in the match, but in the words of both coaches after the final whistle, it was Mustivar’s goal that changed the match.

“There is no doubt that getting in even at halftime was a big thing for us,” Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes said. “[Real Salt Lake] could’ve gone in ahead and came back out and packed it in for the second half. Us getting that goal back was huge for us.”

Real Salt Lake coach Jeff Cassar lamented his team’s inability to go into the half with a goal advantage and said it let Sporting KC “impose their will” in the second half.

“I think if we get through to the half at 1-0, it’d be a different second half,” Cassar said. “Where we are at right now, that goal put our heads down a bit.”

Salt Lake defender Tony Beltran, who assisted Olmes Garcia’s goal in the 24th minute, was disappointed that his team fell behind after Mustivar’s equalizer.

“There shouldn’t be [a swing in momentum after Mustivar’s goal.] Maybe there was, maybe there wasn’t,” Beltran said. “At the end of the first half and coming into the second, it’s a tie game. There’s everything to play for, so it’s disappointing from that aspect.”

In each of the last two U.S. Open Cup games,  Dom Dwyer, Krisztian Nemeth and Benny Feilhaber have scored goals. Feilhaber has contributed either a goal or assist in each of the last seven Sporting KC matches.

Meanwhile. Dwyer scored 22 goals last season, which set a club record for goals scored in a season. while this year, the forward has scored 12 goals in 22 appearances across all competitions.

However, it was Mustivar that contributed his first ever goal in a Sporting KC shirt Wednesday night, which Feilhaber pointed out as crucial to Sporting’s ability to win games.

“We have a lot of goals coming from center backs and defensive midfielders,” Feilhaber said. “When you don’t have the pressure to score every goal like Dom [Dwyer] did last year, it is more difficult for other teams to defend that.”