USL San Antonio FC

San Antonio FC Earns Road Point After Six-Goal Thriller in El Paso

Published on October 6, 2021 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
San Antonio FC News Release


EL PASO - San Antonio FC (12-7-8) scored late in stoppage time to earn a road point against El Paso Locomotive FC (14-2-10) in a six-goal thriller Wednesday night. The point gives SAFC four from their recent two-match road trip.

"It was a tale of two halves," said SAFC Head Coach Alen Marcina. "In the first half our pressing actions were fantastic. We deserved those two goals and could have got an additional one, but the second half we stopped pressing and the game turned in favor of El Paso. Theres a reason they are one of the best teams. They played well the second half, but at the same time I'm proud of the guys who continue to be resilient to go get the equalizer in stoppage time."

SAFC started the game quickly when Justin Dhillon hit the crossbar within the first five minutes. SAFC continued to press for the opener and were rewarded when Dhillon capitalized on a loose ball in the box to slot home. SAFC doubled its lead in similar fashion after Mathieu Deplagne put away a rebound after a Marcus Epps header came back off the post. San Antonio reached halftime on top and looking for its fifth straight road win.

The second half however would be a different story. El Paso made changes at the break and immediately pushed to get back into the game. The Locos were able to score three second half goals to take the lead and put themselves in position for an impressive comeback victory. However, late in stoppage time defender Mitch Taintor found Kortne Ford with a long ball and the on-loan defender powered it into the goal to tie the game and earn the road point.

San Antonio is now unbeaten in its last five road matches, collecting 13 points in those games. SAFC will return home this Sunday to face Memphis 901 FC at Toyota Field at 7:30 p.m.

Scoring Summary:

SAFC: 1-0, Justin Dhillon 10'

SAFC: 2-0, Mathieu Deplagne 27'

ELP: 2-1, Macauley King (Dylan Mares assist) 56'

ELP: 2-2, Nick Ross 73'

ELP: 2-3, Diego Luna 85'

SAFC: 3-3, Kortne Ford (Mitchell Taintor assist) 90'

Disciplinary Summary:

ELP: Yellow Card (Yuma) 42'

SAFC: Yellow Card (Kortne Ford) 45'

SAFC: Yellow Card (Mathieu Deplagne) 62'

SAFC: Yellow Card (Nathan) 82'

Attendance: 5,250

SAFC Starting XI: GK: Matthew Cardone; D: Jasser Khmiri (Axel Sjoberg 45'), Mitch Taintor, Kortne Ford, M: Mathieu Deplagne (Chris Lema 67'), Mohammed Abu (Shandon Hopeau 87'), Jose Gallegos, Connor Maloney (c); F: Marcus Epps, Justin Dhillon (Cam Lindley 56'), Nathan

Substitutions not used: Carlos Mercado, Joaquin Varela

Postgame Notes:

SAFC extended its road unbeaten streak to five matches after the draw in El Paso...SAFC are now 4-0-1 in last five road games...club is now 1-2-1 all-time in El Paso

SAFC midfielder Mohammed Abu was named the SWBC Man of the Match after he recorded an 82.4 percent passing accuracy in the game to go with three interceptions and seven possessions gained

Tonight marked the sixth game that San Antonio has scored at least three goals in a match in 2021...the game was also the first six-goal match for SAFC this season

SAFC forward Justin Dhillon scored the opener for SAFC to go with three shots...the goal is his sixth which is tied for second on the club...Dhillon now has an assist and goal in the recent two match road trip

SAFC defender Kortne Ford scored his third goal of the season...Ford also added two tackles four clearances and four interceptions...defender Mitch Taintor added his first assist with SAFC and second on the season overall

SAFC midfielder Mathieu Deplagne scored his first goal for the club...also added on key pass on the night

Check out the San Antonio FC Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United Soccer League Championship Stories from October 6, 2021


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