• May 30, 2012 - 6:55 AM

The Minnesota Stars FC took the lead on Kevin Venegas' goal in the opening minutes Tuesday and dealt Real Salt Lake a 3-1 loss in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup in Sandy, Utah

The Stars grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third minute on Venegas' header during a scramble. Salt Lake evened the score in the 29th minute on Luis Gil's shot.

Just before halftime, RSL defender Jamison Olave committed a handball and Neil Hlavaty buried the penalty kick it in the upper left corner of the net. The lead ballooned to 3-1 in the 58th minute when Simone Bracalello latched onto a cross and beat goalkeeper Kyle Reynish.

“I’m super proud,” Stars head coach Manny Lagos said. “This is a tough place to play. I thought the guys had a nice belief that they could absorb RSL’s pressure and come at them. The early goal was great, but it was a solid 90 minutes from the guys, and we broke them very effectively on the counter attack.”

Real Salt Lake was one of seven teams from MLS, the highest-caliber soccer leagues in the United States, to lose in Tuesday's Round of 32.

The Stars will play another MLS team, San Jose, on Tuesday at Stanford University in the tournament's round of 16.

For more about the tournament, click here.