USL Memphis 901 FC

Memphis Fall to San Antonio on the Road

Published on October 10, 2021 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Memphis 901 FC News Release


SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Memphis 901 FC (10-9-8, 38 points-Central) suffered a 4-2 defeat to San Antonio FC (13-7-8, 47 points-Mountain) at Toyota Field Sunday night. Despite jumping out to an early lead in the 22', SAFC would respond with a quartet of goals in the following 60 minutes.

San Antonio came out strong, maintaining possession and firing off numerous shots on goal early in the match. The opening goal would come from Memphis on a counterattack, though as defender Niall Logue took the ball up the pitch and slipped a perfectly weighted through ball between a pair of San Antonio defenders to find forward Kyle Murphy near the edge of the box. Murphy gathered the ball and fired a pass across goal where forward Michael Salazar tapped the ball into the net to give Memphis the lead in the 22'.

From there, San Antonio regained its momentum, answering with a quick response in the 30' via a Jose Gallegos score. The match would remain level until the 54', when a deflected shot from Justin Dhillon found the back of the net. Finally, Nathan would earn a late brace, scoring a pair of goals in the 66' and 88'. Deep into stoppage time, Memphis was awarded a penalty kick following a SAFC defender taking down defender Mark Segbers in the box. Midfielder Kadeem Dacres went on to convert his first penalty kick of the season in the 90+5', slotting his shot past the San Antonio 'keeper, off the woodwork and in.

"It was a very honest performance, but I'm very proud of the group," Head Coach Ben Pirmann said following the match. "We faced a very tough opponent at a very tough place to play. We were a little bit slow out of the gate, but we knew that was going to come from their energy and their press. It was a tough second half, but I'm proud of the group for how hard they worked and for the effort that they put in.

"With our fourth game in 14 days, the biggest thing this week is overcoming that physiological and mental aspect," Pirmann added. "Luckily, we're at home, so that recovery is a bit easier. The mindset is we must keep picking up points. I'm proud of the group, but now we just have to refocus and shift our attention to Louisville City and Wednesday night"

Memphis 901 FC remain in fourth place in the Central Division and control its own playoff destiny. Of Memphis' five remaining matches, four are at AutoZone Park as the club can clinch a playoff spot by winning 10 points of a possible 15. Next up, Memphis will host divisional rival Louisville City FC on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at AutoZone Park. The high-stakes divisional match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and kick off at 7 p.m. CT.

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