San Antonio FC routs Austin Bold FC
Sports // Soccer
Terrence Thomas July 3, 2019
San Antonio FC forward Billy Forbes scored one goal and assisted on another as the local club defeated Austin Bold FC 3-0 Wednesday at Toyota Field.
Photo: Darren Abate /Contributor
For San Antonio FC coach Darren Powell, the message didn't change in the week since his team concluded the first half of United Soccer League play and started the second half.
Powell preached to his players that the key to success — turning draws into victories and losses into draws — was executing inside the offensive and defensive thirds of the field. The objective had been fleeting this season.
It wasn't Wednesday.
SAFC dominated from start to finish, roasting Austin Bold FC 3-0 in USL play before 7,514 at Toyota Field. The Alamo City club moved into 13th place in the Western Conference, just a win out of ninth place and two points from a potential playoff spot.
"We wanted to make sure we could impose ourselves," Powell said. "We got into good spaces and (had) some good opportunities. The players were hungry tonight."
SAFC (5-8-5, 20 points) feasted on Austin Bold FC (7-6-5, 26 points), capitalizing on enough of its countless scoring chances to improve to 6-0-3 in its last nine home matches and 6-1-4 overall at Toyota Field.
SAFC scored its goals in the early stages of both halves en route to its first win in almost a month, a 3-2 decision vs. Reno 1868 FC on June 8. The team was 0-1-2 since the triumph.
Midfielder Cristian Parano and Billy Forbes tallied goals 20 minutes apart in the second half as SAFC extended a 1-0 halftime lead to 3-0 in the 70th minute.
Parano rounded out the scoring when he put in a pass from Forbes, who made it 2-0 only five minutes into the second half when he gathered a pass from teammate Bradford Jamieson IV, weaved back and forth through the Austin defense to find space, then put a blast to the right post.
The goal came three minutes after Forbes had what looked like a sure empty-net goal blocked off the line by an Austin defender Jermaine Taylor. The carom was snatched out of the air by Austin goalkeeper Diego Restrepo, who played the previous two seasons with SAFC.
"It's a little bit of more effort from everyone," Forbes said after SAFC beat Austin for the first time in three encounters this season. Austin prevailed 1-0 in league play March 30 and 4-2 during the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on May 29. Both games were in Austin.
"Being in the 15th place is not who we are, especially with the players we have in the locker room."
Wednesday's showing might be the springboard SAFC needed to boost a second-half surge to a postseason berth. The squad had lost only one of its previous four contests, including a scoreless tie vs. El Paso Locomotive FC on June 26 in which it played the final 33 minutes down a player because of a red-card ejection.
The momentum carried over as SAFC dominated in possession and scoring opportunities in the opening 45 minutes, with forwards Forbes and Ever Guzman and midfielders Jose Gallegos and Parano applying consistent pressure.
The home squad was only able to breakthrough once — that coming when a pass from Jamieson intended for Guzman was accidentally redirected into his own goal by Austin Bold FC defender Ambodi Okugo.
"I think we're starting to build a little bit of momentum, and we know that we still have half the season, pretty much, to play for and get into the playoffs," SAFC goalkeeper Matt Cardone said after helping lead his team to its second straight shutout. "This momentum, hopefully, carries us through the rest of the season."
tthomas@express-news.net
Twitter: @en_terrence
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