San Antonio FC (14-4-10) fell 0-1 to Rio Grande Valley FC (9-13-7) at Toyota Field on Saturday night. The club recorded its second largest attendance of the season during Military Appreciation Night.
“First and foremost, I want to thank our fans for filling up the stadium,” SAFC Head Coach Darren Powell said. “We also had military members here and they came out in full force tonight to support our team. We support them and thank them for what they do for our country, and we’re proud that they choose to come out to support us.”
The lone goal of the match came in the 17th minute when midfielder Jose Escalante placed a shot far-post and over goalkeeper Diego Restrepo for the 1-0 lead.
SAFC defender Ben Newnam received a red card just three minutes later for unsportsmanlike conduct following a foul from the visitors. The red card marked the third for the team this season and Newnam’s first since joining the club prior to the 2017 USL season.
The loss marked San Antonio’s fourth of the season and first at Toyota Field since Sept. 10, 2016, as well as the team’s first consecutive losses since the Silver and Black fell twice in a row on Sept. 10 and Sept. 14 of last season.
SAFC forward Cesar Elizondo recorded five shots on target during the match, setting a new all-time record for the club. Elizondo also currently ranks second on the team with 16 shots on target this season.
The 8,125 fans at Toyota Field marked the Alamo City club’s second-largest attendance this season, falling just short of the 8,131 attendance during the club’s match against OKC Energy FC on July 14.
San Antonio FC will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 30 as the team visits Tulsa Roughnecks FC for the first time in USL play.
Scoring Summary:
RGVFC: 0-1, Jose Escalante (Justin Bilyeu assist) 17’
Disciplinary Summary:
SAFC: Red Card (Ben Newnam 20’)
RGVFC: Yellow Card (Jose Escalante 23’)
SAFC: Yellow Card (Stephen McCarthy 43’)
SAFC: Yellow Card (Pecka 45’)
RGVFC: Yellow Card (Jose Rodriguez 45’)
RGVFC: Yellow Card (Eric Bird 84’)
RGVFC: Yellow Card (Joseph Holland 88')
Attendance: 8,125
SAFC Starting XI: GK: Diego Restrepo; D: Ben Newnam, Sebastien Ibeagha, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Cochrane; M: Pecka (Ryan Roushandel 63’), Michael Reed (c), Billy Forbes, Kris Tyrpak (Mike Seth 81’); F: Ever Guzman (Omar Gordon 70’), Cesar Elizondo
Substitutions Not Used: Lee Johnston, Maxi Rodriguez, Devin Vega, Connor Presley
Postgame Notes:
- San Antonio FC lost just its fourth match of the season, and suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in 2017…the game marked the first loss at Toyota Field this season for San Antonio and first home defeat in over a calendar year (last, 9/10/16 vs. STLFC, 1-3)
- San Antonio FC defender Ben Newnam was shown a red card in the 20th minute, becoming the third SAFC player to earn a red card this season
- SAFC Cesar Elizondo recorded a franchise-high five shots on target while tying the season-high for six total shots on the night…Elizondo’s shots on target surpass the previous high set by Rafa Castillo on 4/15/17 vs. Reno
- San Antonio FC defender Sebastien Ibeagha led the team in both clearances (five) and blocks (three) while adding two tackles and two interceptions…Ibeagha’s 168 clearances on the season are most in the USL
- SAFC are now 1-1-0 against RGV FC this season and 1-4-1 against the Toros all-time…SAFC defeated RGV on opening day of the 2017 campaign and will host them one final time on 10/14 at Toyota Field
- Despite playing with 10 men for the majority of the match, SAFC outshot the Toros 8-5 and recorded two more shots on goal than their rivals
- Toyota Field welcomed 8,125 fans to the stadium tonight, marking the second-highest attendance of the season and third-highest of all-time in USL play
San Antonio FC (14-4-10) fell 0-1 to Rio Grande Valley FC (9-13-7) at Toyota Field on Saturday night. The club recorded its second largest attendance of the season during Military Appreciation Night.
“First and foremost, I want to thank our fans for filling up the stadium,” SAFC Head Coach Darren Powell said. “We also had military members here and they came out in full force tonight to support our team. We support them and thank them for what they do for our country, and we’re proud that they choose to come out to support us.”
The lone goal of the match came in the 17th minute when midfielder Jose Escalante placed a shot far-post and over goalkeeper Diego Restrepo for the 1-0 lead.
SAFC defender Ben Newnam received a red card just three minutes later for unsportsmanlike conduct following a foul from the visitors. The red card marked the third for the team this season and Newnam’s first since joining the club prior to the 2017 USL season.
The loss marked San Antonio’s fourth of the season and first at Toyota Field since Sept. 10, 2016, as well as the team’s first consecutive losses since the Silver and Black fell twice in a row on Sept. 10 and Sept. 14 of last season.
SAFC forward Cesar Elizondo recorded five shots on target during the match, setting a new all-time record for the club. Elizondo also currently ranks second on the team with 16 shots on target this season.
The 8,125 fans at Toyota Field marked the Alamo City club’s second-largest attendance this season, falling just short of the 8,131 attendance during the club’s match against OKC Energy FC on July 14.
San Antonio FC will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 30 as the team visits Tulsa Roughnecks FC for the first time in USL play.
Scoring Summary:
RGVFC: 0-1, Jose Escalante (Justin Bilyeu assist) 17’
Disciplinary Summary:
SAFC: Red Card (Ben Newnam 20’)
RGVFC: Yellow Card (Jose Escalante 23’)
SAFC: Yellow Card (Stephen McCarthy 43’)
SAFC: Yellow Card (Pecka 45’)
RGVFC: Yellow Card (Jose Rodriguez 45’)
RGVFC: Yellow Card (Eric Bird 84’)
RGVFC: Yellow Card (Joseph Holland 88′)
Attendance: 8,125
SAFC Starting XI: GK: Diego Restrepo; D: Ben Newnam, Sebastien Ibeagha, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Cochrane; M: Pecka (Ryan Roushandel 63’), Michael Reed (c), Billy Forbes, Kris Tyrpak (Mike Seth 81’); F: Ever Guzman (Omar Gordon 70’), Cesar Elizondo
Substitutions Not Used: Lee Johnston, Maxi Rodriguez, Devin Vega, Connor Presley
Postgame Notes:
- San Antonio FC lost just its fourth match of the season, and suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in 2017…the game marked the first loss at Toyota Field this season for San Antonio and first home defeat in over a calendar year (last, 9/10/16 vs. STLFC, 1-3)
- San Antonio FC defender Ben Newnam was shown a red card in the 20th minute, becoming the third SAFC player to earn a red card this season
- SAFC Cesar Elizondo recorded a franchise-high five shots on target while tying the season-high for six total shots on the night…Elizondo’s shots on target surpass the previous high set by Rafa Castillo on 4/15/17 vs. Reno
- San Antonio FC defender Sebastien Ibeagha led the team in both clearances (five) and blocks (three) while adding two tackles and two interceptions…Ibeagha’s 168 clearances on the season are most in the USL
- SAFC are now 1-1-0 against RGV FC this season and 1-4-1 against the Toros all-time…SAFC defeated RGV on opening day of the 2017 campaign and will host them one final time on 10/14 at Toyota Field
- Despite playing with 10 men for the majority of the match, SAFC outshot the Toros 8-5 and recorded two more shots on goal than their rivals
- Toyota Field welcomed 8,125 fans to the stadium tonight, marking the second-highest attendance of the season and third-highest of all-time in USL play
