Sacramento Republic FC’s season is over after the club lost in the first round of the USL Championship playoffs Friday in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Lights FC defeated Republic FC in a penalty shootout after the teams battled to a scoreless draw in 120 minutes of play. Republic’s goalkeeper Danny Vitiello blocked two attempts but the Lights' Raiko Arozarena got the edge with three saves. Las Vegas won the shootout 3-2. The knockout capped a disappointing end to the season. Republic FC faced injuries among several star players and inconsistent results in the final stretch.There were high hopes early on. Republic FC went undefeated for its first 14 matches, including U.S. Open Cup play, and led its western league conference for much of the season. The team also recorded an 11-game win streak on the road stretching back to the 2023 season. But an early challenge came with captain Rodrigo “RoRo” López’s season-ending injury during an Open Cup match in May. Forward Russell Cicerone, the team’s top scorer last year with 19 goals across all competitions, was also out for a critical period with an ankle injury. He went on to score just five goals in all for the season. The squad picked up English striker Kieran Phillips on loan from Huddersfield Town to boost its offense. Phillips would go on to lead the team with 12 goals in league play. Another addition was Justin Portillo, who did not score a goal this season but did lead the team in chances created, which is when a player's key pass leads to a shot on goal.A big bright spot was Vitiello, the reigning USL Championship Goalkeeper of the Year. He recorded 14 clean sheets, two more than his career high last year, and matched his 88 saves from 2023. Among the squad's strikers, neither Phillips nor Trevon Amann could find the back of the net on Saturday to keep Republic’s playoff hopes alive. Amann, last year's USL League One Player of the Year, scored nine goals for the Republic in league play this season. The club was missing another forward on Saturday, Sebastián Herrera, who was out for about half of the season with an injury. The squad also felt the absence of defender and assist leader Jack Gurr to a lower-body injury. In all, Republic ended its run by losing three and tying two of its final five matches. Its defensive record overall this season was 34 goals conceded, compared to 29 last season. The squad’s road streak by the end of the season was a shocking inverse of how the year started. Including Saturday’s performance and stretching back into July, Republic FC lost seven away matches and tied one.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter