Austin Aztex Win Season Opener 2-0
Published on March 28, 2015 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Austin Aztex News Release
AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Aztex made a successful pro debut in USL when they defeated the Colorado Springs Switchbacks Saturday night at House Park. The win marked the official return of professional soccer to the city of Austin.
PHOTOS: http://bit.ly/1NqyymR The Aztex came out on top after a well-fought game from both sides. Austin totaled 11 shots, while Colorado Springs accumulated 10 by the end of the night. Both goals came from great efforts from Gambian forward Sainey Touray and Trinidad and Tobago international attacker, Trevin Caesar.
The intensity of the game was evident since the opening moments, establishing possession over the middle of the field by connecting multiple passes in a quick and efficient manner. Austin's squad wasted no time in trying to make some damage. This paid off instantly at the first minute when Sainey Touray made a steal in Switchback territory, who then passed the ball to forward Kris Tyrpak for a fierce shot that sailed up high. Austin registered two shots in the first 10 minutes.
After trying to pierce through the Switchback defense, Colorado Springs held its ground and deflected any attacks coming their way. Both teams exchanged attacks, turning the match into a fast-paced contest. Colorado Springs was able to find an open man on two occasions, connecting shots on both of them, but being unable to score.
A tough and dynamic contest began to unfold through the rest of the first half, as the Aztex kept relying on their speed and fast breaks. In the 40^th minute, this strategy created a big opportunity when midfielder Tony Rocha managed to send a long ball to Touray, who separated himself from his defender to receive the ball. He then proceeded to make a dribble and a cut inside to face the Switchback goalkeeper, finishing the play with a shot to the left lower corner to score the first goal and become the first player to score as an Aztex in USL.
The second half opened up in similar fashion, with the Aztex using open spaces to get in a good position to score. In an effort to keep the energy level high, Aztex Head Coach Paul Dalglish subbed in forward Trevin Caesar for Touray early in the half. By adding another elusive player up front, Austin was able to keep pressuring the Colorado Springs defensive front. Pairing up with Tyrpak, the duo began creating opportunities in front of goal.
The first scoring opportunity came with Tyrpak tried to reach for a through ball to get a one-on-one opportunity against Samir Badr, the goalkeeper, but ended up being tackled and sent to the ground by Badr. The Switchback keeper received a caution after the play.
On the 80^th minute, forward Trevin Caesar decided to take a chance towards goal. He smoothly drifted through the left side, getting away from a defender and firing a dart down low to send the ball into the back of the net, making House Park burst into cheers and applause for the second time in the night.
Despite being down 2-0, Colorado Springs didn't give up and aggressively tried to tally a goal during the last minutes of the game, being denied by a couple of saves by Aztex goalkeeper Devin Perales.
The Aztex return to action at House Park on Wednesday, April 1, when they host the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2.
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