Sports stats



USL San Antonio FC

San Antonio FC Defeats New Mexico United 2-1 in Front of Sellout Crowd at Toyota Field

May 27, 2023 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
San Antonio FC News Release


SAN ANTONIO - San Antonio FC defeated New Mexico United FC tonight 2-1 to move to 6-2-4 with 22 points on the season. The win came in front of a sellout crowd at Toyota Field, as the team returned from three-straight road matches to start the month of May.

SAFC struck first, as Rida Zouhir found the back of the net for the first time in his professional career in the 20th minute.

Just before halftime, San Antonio struck again to make it 2-0. This time the goal came from the foot of defender Fabien Garcia, his second goal of the season and second in three matches.

New Mexico pulled one back in the 57th minute, cutting the SAFC lead in half with just over a half hour to play. The SAFC defense didn't allow a shot on target the rest of the way, securing the win.

The win extends San Antonio's home unbeaten streak to 24 matches, alongside a 52-match unbeaten streak when the team scores first.

Next Up

San Antonio FC is back at home next weekend, hosting San Diego Loyal SC on Saturday, June 3. The match kicks off at 8:00 p.m. CT, with tickets still available at SanAntonioFC.com or the SAFC app. The match will be broadcast locally on Bally Sports Southwest, or nationally on ESPN+.

Postgame Notes:

San Antonio FC moves to 6-2-4 on the season with 22 points.

The win extends San Antonio's home unbeaten streak to 24 matches. Additionally, SAFC's unbeaten streak when scoring first moves to 52 matches.

San Antonio is now 12-1-4 under Alen Marcina in the first match back after a loss.

Defender Connor Maloney made his return to the pitch after missing the last three matches for personal reasons.

Midfielder Rida Zouhir's goal in the 20th minute was his first as a professional, coming in just his third match with SAFC.

Defender Lamar Batista's assist on Zouhir's goal was his second of the season, tied for the most on the team.

Defender Fabien Garcia's goal in the 43rd minute was his second of the season and third in his SAFC career.

Defender Tulu made his SAFC debut, appearing as a sub in the 86th minute.

Statistics

Full individual and team stats from the match can be found here.

Media assets

Game highlights, interviews and photos can be found here.

Quotes:

Head Coach Alen Marcina

(On the win...)

"Very proud of the players. Had a great week of training, great week of preparation. It's due to the collective, that we got this well-earned, well-deserved three points tonight in front of our home crowd. So we're always happy to be able to get the result for our fans. We asked the guys to be relentless in the pressing, ultra competitive, and consistent over the course of 90 minutes and we felt they did. I felt we were unfortunate not to score a lot more goals than we did. We did a great job of getting to great positions. It should've been a few more goals in the back of the net. But all in all, proud."

(On the team's successes in the first match after a loss...)

"I don't know what magic, but we prepare for every game like it's a cup final or it's the last game that we play. It's that mentality we take into every game, each and every game, and then you just hope then that you get the result."

Defender Fabien Garcia

(On his goal...)

"I'm happy about the goal, coming from a set piece again. I think I followed the play, tried to be focused and went for the rebound and just got lucky today, and just keep going. I love scoring actually, you know that's a different feeling but I can help the team that's great for me, great for the club and just - we'll move forward."

(On his attacking form...)

"I think when you score a goal and you can help the team to get the three points, it just - it's a great difference. I'm not focused on that, because my first task is to defend. But if I can bring something a little bit more, I'm just happy about it."

Check out the San Antonio FC Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 27, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central