San Antonio FC Clinches First-Round Home Playoff Match
October 12, 2017 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
San Antonio FC News Release
SAFC Will Host First-Round Match at Toyota Field on Oct. 21
SAN ANTONIO, TX (Oct. 11, 2017) - San Antonio FC (16-4-11) defeated Portland Timbers 2 (3-22-6) 2-1 at Toyota Field on Wednesday night, clinching at least a top three finish in the Western Conference and a first-round home playoff match at Toyota Field.
"We earned three important points tonight which secure a home seed for at least the first round of the playoffs, which is something we set out to do since the beginning of the year," SAFC Head Coach Darren Powell said. "We're pleased to accomplish that but we have to continue to improve as we head into the playoffs."
San Antonio FC will host the first-round playoff matchup on Saturday, October 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Toyota Field with the opponent still to be determined. Tickets for the match will go on sale this Friday, October 13 at 10 a.m. A special presale window for San Antonio FC Season Ticket Members, members of the SAFC Supporters Corner email database and followers of San Antonio FC on social media will begin immediately, and will continue until tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday morning.
SAFC opened the scoring tonight in the 16th minute when midfielder Billy Forbes found forward Ever Guzman inside the box with a cross from the wing. Guzman placed the ball far-post with a header for the 1-0 lead, scoring his second goal in as many matches.
The Timbers 2 then equalized in the 35th minute when defender Bill Tuiloma headed the ball past goalkeeper Diego Restrepo following a free kick by Renzo Zambrano.
SWBC Man of the Match Ryan Roushandel found the winning goal in the 71st minute after capitalizing on a pass from Guzman inside the box. The goal marked Roushandel's first for the club since joining the Silver and Black prior to their 2016 inaugural season. The assist marked Guzman's first for the team.
San Antonio FC will return to action on Saturday, October 14 as they host South Texas rivals Rio Grande Valley FC at Toyota Field in their final match of the 2017 regular season, presented by Augie's Smoke House.
Scoring Summary:
SAFC: 1-0, Ever Guzman (Billy Forbes assist) 16'
Timbers 2: 1-1, Bill Tuiloma (Renzo Zambrano assist) 35'
SAFC: 2-1, Ryan Roushandel (Ever Guzman assist) 71'
Attendance: 6,096
SAFC Starting XI: GK: Diego Restrepo; D: Andrew Moullin (Stephen McCarthy 45'), Sebastien Ibeagha, Cyprian Hedrick, Greg Cochrane; M: Ryan Roushandel, Billy Forbes, Maxi Rodriguez (Michael Reed 45'), Kris Tyrpak (Cesar Elizondo 82'), Omar Gordon; F: Ever Guzman
Substitutions Not Used : Lee Johnston, Victor Araujo, Connor Presley, Mike Seth
Postgame Notes :
San Antonio FC defeated the Portland Timbers 2-1, marking a season-sweep of the Pacific Northwest club...SAFC outscored Portland 6-1 in the two matches this season and is 2-0-1 all-time against the MLS 2 side...SAFC improves home record to 7-1-7 on the season
With the win, San Antonio FC will finish no lower than third place in the Western Conference and will host a first-round playoff match at Toyota Field on 10/21..SAFC currently sits in 2nd place - one point ahead of Reno 1868 FC - with one game to play
SAFC forward Ever Guzman scored his second goal in as many games while also recording his first assist for the club...Guzman is just the third SAFC player this season to record at least one goal and one assist in a single match this season (also Billy Forbes, Cesar Elizondo)
SAFC midfielder-defender Ryan Roushandel was named the SWBC Man of the Match after he scored the game-winning goal - his first for the club - while also recording a team-high 93.5 percent passing accuracy and 100 percent passing accuracy in the opponent's half...Roushandel added four tackles and eight possessions gained over 90 minutes on the night
San Antonio FC midfielder Billy Forbes collected his team-leading eighth assist and second in as many games. Forbes' eight assists now stands alone as the all-time season-high for an SAFC player, surpassing the seven set by Carlos Alvarez in 2016...Forbes is now tied for the fourth-most assists in the USL this year
SAFC defender Greg Cochrane started and played 90 minutes in the match, giving him 30 appearances on the season...Cochrane is tied with Billy Forbes for most games this year, and with the start the left-back is the only player for SAFC to record 30 games played in both seasons in team history...Cochrane leads the team with 2,692 minutes this season after leading SAFC in the same category in 2016 (2,631)
SanAntonioFC.com
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