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USL El Paso Locomotive FC

Forward Lucho Solignac Named USL Championship Player of the Week

May 10, 2022 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
El Paso Locomotive FC News Release


EL PASO, Texas - May 10, 2022 - El Paso Locomotive FC alongside the USL Championship has announced that five players have been named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 9. After an outstanding week that saw El Paso claim victories against FC Tulsa and LA Galaxy II, outscoring the two teams seven-to-one, Forward Lucho Solignac won Player of the Week and Midfielder Diego Luna featured on the Team of the Week Starting XI. Goalkeeper Evan Newton, Midfielder Dylan Mares, and Forward Aaron Gomez also earned honorable mentions on the bench, making for the most Locomotive players in the Team of the Week shortlist at the same time.

Lucho Solignac was named the USL Championship Player of the Week after earning 53 percent of the ballot, claiming his second straight appearance on the Team of the Week Starting XI. In Week 9, Lucho continued his hot run of form, recording two goals against FC Tulsa on Wednesday night before earning one more and forcing an own goal against LA GAlaxy II on Saturday. Over the two games, Lucho led the attack for El Paso, taking seven shots with five on frame for a 42 percent conversion rate while winning 30 percent of his duels as the front line of defense for the Locos.

Luna earns his first nod on the league's Starting XI after having appeared twice on the bench in the 2022 season. Against FC Tulsa, Luna took four shots with two on target while creating two chances for his side. Three days later against LA Galaxy II, Luna improved, recording a goal and an assist while creating six chances from the midfield. Over the course of the two matches, LUna completed 89 percent of his passes, pressing the Locomotive attack into securing six massive points.

Evan Newton and Aaron Gomez earn their first shoutouts of the 2022 USL Championship season, making appearances on the bench for Week 9. The two are joined by Dylan Mares, making for a club-record five players on the full Team of the Week lineup. Newton kept a clean sheet against LA Galaxy II while making eight saves over the two nights to extend his league-leading clean sheet and save count. Gomez recorded three assists over the two matches, creating five chances overall to help push the Locomotive attack. Mares earned his third nod on the Team of the Week for 2022, having been named to the Starting XI in Week 5 and in Week 8. Mares recorded a goal and an assist against FC Tulsa, while creating two big chances and maintaining a 93% passing accuracy over both games.

For the full lineup of the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 9, see below:

GK - Ben Lundt, Phoenix Rising FC: The German shot-stopper shone with a seven-save shutout for Rising FC in its 3-0 victory against San Antonio FC as the hosts completed a season sweep of their Western Conference rival at Wild Horse Pass.

D - Nathan Dossantos, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Dossantos provided the assist on Pittsburgh's winner against Birmingham Legion FC and recorded two chances created while completing 30 of 35 passes and recording four interceptions.

D - Duke Lacroix, Sacramento Republic FC: Lacroix had a solid display in Sacramento's 1-0 win on the road against the New York Red Bulls II on Sunday, winning 5 of 7 duels and 2 of 2 tackles and completing 2 of 2 dribbles.

D - Rece Buckmaster, Memphis 901 FC: Buckmaster recorded one assist and three chances created in Memphis' 2-0 victory against the Charleston Battery and won 2 of 2 tackles while making eight recoveries defensively.

M - Niall McCabe, Louisville City FC: McCabe had one goal and one assist, recorded three shots and three chances created overall and completed 24 of 29 passes in LouCity's 4-0 victory against Atlanta United 2 on Wednesday night.

M - Walmer Martinez, Monterey Bay F.C.: Martinez scored the first goal in Cardinale Stadium and had three shots and two chances created while completing 28 of 42 passes as Monterey Bay won its inaugural home opener 1-0 against Las Vegas Lights FC on Saturday night.

M - Diego Luna, El Paso Locomotive FC: The United States U-20 international recorded a goal and assist, had eight chances created and completed 86 of 98 passes for Locomotive FC as it claimed a pair of victories against FC Tulsa and the LA Galaxy II.

M - Jeremy Kelly, Memphis 901 FC: Kelly scored once and had four shots and three chances created overall while winning 5 of 7 duels, completing 2 of 2 dribbles, and completing 24 of 29 passes in Memphis' 2-0 win against the Charleston Battery on Friday.

F - Luis Solignac, El Paso Locomotive FC: Solignac scored three goals in two games to lead El Paso to a pair of victories against FC Tulsa and the LA Galaxy II while recording three key passes and completing 22 of 35 passes.

F - Joaquin Rivas, FC Tulsa: Rivas recorded a pair of goals and had one chance created in Tulsa's 3-1 victory against Detroit City FC on Saturday night while also winning 4 of 6 duels and completing 17 of 23 passes overall.

F - Greg Hurst, Phoenix Rising FC: The Scottish forward recorded a pair of goals on four shots as Phoenix Rising FC Took a 3-0 win against San Antonio FC on Saturday night and completed on key pass and 10 of 15 passes overall in the contest.

Bench: Evan Newton (ELP), Brian Ownby (LOU), Danny Griffin (PIT), Isidro Martinez (RGV), Dylan Mares (ELP), Zach Zandi (COS), Josue Aaron Gomez (ELP)

The five featured players and El Paso Locomotive will return to the pitch this Saturday when the team travels east to take on Pittsburgh Riverhounds for the first time in franchise history. Kickoff from Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is set for 5:00 p.m. MT and will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Locomotive returns to Southwest University Park next Wednesday, May 18 to host Sacramento Republic SC. The first 1,500 fans to the stadium when gates open at 6:00 p.m. will receive a Vamos El Paso t-shirt. Tickets are available for purchase online at eplocmotivefc.com/tickets or by calling 915-235-GOAL.

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