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San Antonio FC

San Antonio FC Defeats Vancouver 2-1 in First of Three-Game Road

April 23, 2017 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
San Antonio FC News Release


VANCOUVER, BC - San Antonio FC earned a 2-1 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 on Saturday to remain undefeated in the 2017 USL season. Goals from Aly Alberto Hassan and Billy Forbes were enough to earn the Alamo City club three points on the road.

"I'm very proud of our players for the way they were resilient and defended well," said SAFC Head Coach Darren Powell. "We used a lot of players today and they deserve full credit for their performances and their efforts to help us earn three points on the road."

SAFC opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when goalkeeper Matt Cardone started a counter attack by finding midfielder Billy Forbes with a throw. Forbes then played Aly Alberto Hassan in on goal and the forward buried his sliding shot into the net.

The goal marked Hassan's first for the club in his first start of the season as well as Forbes' third assist of 2017.

"It was a team effort," said Hassan. "It was one of those games that we had to grind out on the road. It's not always pretty, but that's what good teams are made of, fighting through and earning points on the road."

The hosts then earned the equalizer in the 45th minute when Marco Bustos found the back of the net after controlling the ball following a deflection off the woodwork, leveling the match 1-1 going into the halftime break.

San Antonio FC regained the lead in the first minute of the second half when a mistake by a de-fender allowed Forbes to lob a header past the Whitecaps keeper and into the net for the 2-1 lead. The goal marked Forbes' fourth of the season as he continues to lead the team in goals scored.

In addition to Hassan's first start for the Alamo City club, the match marked midfielder Devin Vega's first professional start, as well as goalkeeper Diego Restrepo's club debut. Restrepo came on in the 56th minute after Matt Cardone was substituted off due to an injury.

San Antonio FC will return to action on Tuesday, April 25 as it visits Seattle Sounders FC 2 in the second of three matches in the span of seven days.

Scoring Summary: SAFC: 1-0, Aly Alberto Hassan (Billy Forbes assist) 22' WFC2: 1-1, Marco Bustos 45' SAFC: 2-1, Billy Forbes 46'

Disciplinary Summary: SAFC: Yellow Card (Sebastien Ibeagha 27') WFC2: Yellow Card (Sem de Wit 90') SAFC: Yellow Card (Stephen McCarthy 90')

Attendance: 403

SAFC Starting XI: GK: Matt Cardone (Diego Restrepo 56'); D: Shawn Chin (Maxi Rodriguez 54'), Sebasiten Ibeagha, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Cochrane; M: Devin Vega, Michael Reed (c), Pecka, Kris Tyrpak, Billy Forbes; F: Aly Alberto Hassan (AJ Ajeakwa 83')

Substitutions Not Used: Ryan Roushandel, Juan Nino, Victor Araujo, Zach Herivaux

Postgame Notes:

* San Antonio FC continued their unbeaten run on Saturday after defeating Whitecaps FC 2 2-1 in Vancouver...the club's unbeaten streak has reached five matches (four wins, one draw)...SAFC currently sits in first place in the Western Conference standings

* With the victory, San Antonio FC has now recorded a 2-0-0 all-time record against the Whitecaps, outscoring the Canadian club 4-1...SAFC earned a 2-1 victory over Vancouver at Toyota Field in the two sides' only meeting last season

* SAFC forward Aly Alberto Hassan made his first start of the season and scored his first goal in the Silver and Black...Hassan recorded one shot on goal in 83 total minutes

* SAFC midfielder Billy Forbes scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season and recorded his team-high third assist...Forbes entered the match as one of only three USL players to have at least three goals and two assists on the season...earned the SWBC Man of the Match honor following the win

* SAFC captain Michael Reed led all players in the match with an 87.5 percent passing accuracy (40 total passes)...Reed also recorded three tackles, four interceptions and two clearances in the SAFC victory

* SAFC goalkeeper Diego Restrepo made his SAFC debut today, coming on for an injured Matt Cardone in the second half...Restrepo made two saves in 34 total minutes on the day

About Spurs Sports & Entertainment

Spurs Sports & Entertainment is the premier provider of sports and entertainment in South Texas. SS&E owns and operates the San Antonio Spurs (NBA), San Antonio Rampage (AHL), San Antonio Stars (WNBA), Austin Spurs (NBA Development League), San Antonio FC (USL) and also manages the day-to-day operations of the AT&T Center and Toyota Field.

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