EDINBURG, Texas (May 25, 2019) – Rio Grande Valley FC (4-4-4, 16 pts.) defeated San Antonio FC (3-6-3, 12 pts.), 3-1, on Saturday night at H-E-B Park in the South Texas Derby. Michael Salazar earned his first brace of the season and tied the RGV FC single-season goal scoring record; Ruben Luna (2016) and Kyle Murphy (2017).
The Toros were able to create danger early on in the match. At the 14thminute Salazar received a through ball from Andrew Samuels at the center of the box and took on the goalkeeper Matt Cardone who then swept the ball from his feet, subsequently ending up a bit touched on the play.
Another near goal situation arose for RGV FC near the 21stminute as Jesus Enriquez drove in to the box accompanied by Isidro Martinez, who dribbled back and forth with Enriquez and brought Cardone out of the goal to challenge. Unable to clear, Cardone then kept defending the net as a tipped ball fell to Salazar’s feet after a failed clearing by Kai Greene. Salazar shot the ball into the center of the goal softly, but it was cleared by San Antonio defending line.
The persistent offensive attack from the Toros payed off at the 30thminute when Enriquez shot a ball from the outside left corner of the box to the right side of the goal to score the first goal of the match, 1-0, in favor of RGV FC. Robert Coronado collected his first assist as he provided the pass to “Chuy” from the left wing.
Salazar received a pass from Romilio Hernandez and sent it to the back of the net with authority to the center of the goal, giving Cardone no chance to save at the 36th minute. The Toros took a 2-0 lead in the South Texas derby in convincing fashion.
More of the same continued for the Toros’ offense as Maalique Foster provided a pass to Salazar who then dribbled around the goalie to shoot a laser to the center of the goal, 3-0. The goal gave him his seventh goal of the season.
The Salazar factor continued to create danger for the San Antonio defense as he shot one wide left of the top of the goal in an attempt to earn the hat trick.
Toros offense in the third was too much for the San Antonio squad to handle, giving them their fifth road loss of the season. The only goal of the game for the visitors came in the second half at the 70th minute as Ever Guzman took on Nelson and beat him, sending the ball to the back of the goal.
The 3-1 convincing score boosted the confidence of the young RGV FC side which marked the first win against SAFC at H-E-B Park and first win since 2017. RGV FC totaled 11 shots on the night, five of those on target. Salazar ended the night with four total shots, three on target. On the defensive side, Conor Donovan and Kyle Adams ended the night with 11 clearances each.
Next for RGV FC is a road trip to Orange County SC. Kick off will be at 9:00 p.m. CT. The match will be available on ESPN+ and updates on the match will be provided via Twitter at @RGVFC or by following #SomosToros. To see more matchday information, visit https://www.rgvfc.com.
Attendance: 4377
Scoring Summary: RGV FC – Enriquez 30’ (Assist by Coronado), Salazar 36’ (Assist by Hernandez), Salazar 58’ (Assist by Foster); SAFC – Guzman 70’ (Assist by Ackon).
Misconduct Summary: RGV FC – Dunwell YC 74’, Lemoine 92’; SAFC – Yaro 86’.
SAFC – Cardone, Laing (Jamieson 59’), Ackon, Yaro, Greene, Barnby, Parano, Gomez, Lahoud (Gallegos 78’), Guzman, Forbes (Restrepo 59’).
Subs: Viscosi, Bryant, Fenwick, Eboussi.
Stats: Shots: 13, Shots on Goal: 5, Saves: 1, Fouls: 8, Corner Kicks: 3, Offsides: 4.
RGV FC – Nelson, Samuels, Adams, Donovan, Coronado, Martinez, W. Cabrera (Dunwell 71’), Enriquez, Hernandez, Foster (Lemoine 80’), Salazar (Small 89’).
Subs: Corti, Mena, Castellanos, Monroy.
Stats: Shots: 11, Shots on Goal: 5, Saves: 4, Fouls: 7, Corner Kicks: 2, Offsides: 1.
# SOMOS TOROS #
