ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (July 6, 2022) – Rio Grande Valley F.C (7-9-2) and New Mexico United (8-3-5) clashed in a mid-week match on Wednesday night at Isotopes Park. The match was originally scheduled for June 22 but was postponed to present day due to weather. Portillo scored the lone goal of the match on a penalty try to claim the 1-0 win for the home side.
Rio Grande closed out the opening half with four shots as they maintained 62% of the possession and controlled pace. New Mexico managed six shots of their own, placing one on target as the uneventful first half ended.
Jerome Keisewetter charged the box on an open play at the 62nd minute, causing Javier Garcia to come up and challenge the angle on the play. Jonathan Ricketts closed in with speed and power as he made the block on the shot but took Garcia out on the play, both recovered shortly as play resumed and the score remained, 0-0.
New Mexico drew a penalty at the 81st minute as Luka Malesevic downed Keisewetter just inside the box. On the ensuing try, Justin Portillo sent Garcia the wrong way as he calmly shot the ball into the right side of the net to give the home side the 1-0 lead and ultimately th win on the night.
Despite managing the possession game, Rio Grande struggled to find the arc as they took six total shots, none landing on target. Javier Garcia was forced to make two saves, allowing one goal on the penalty in his fourth start in a row.
RGV FC remains in New Mexico as they close out the double-header week on Saturday, July 9 at 8:00pm CST. To see more matchday information, visit www.rgvfc.com.
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