SAN ANTONIO – Alex Méndez scored a pair of first-half goals to lead El Paso Locomotive FC to a 3-0 victory against San Antonio FC at Toyota Field on Saturday night to earn the visitors a third consecutive victory in league play and this year’s Copa Tejas on aggregate.
Locomotive took the lead in spectacular fashion in the 20th minute when Méndez launched a long-range strike to the top-right corner that San Antonio goalkeeper Joey Batrouni got a hand to but couldn’t keep out. Amando Moreno almost doubled the lead 14 minutes later only for Batrouni to keep out his deflected effort with his legs, but Méndez struck again six minutes before halftime as he seized on an errant pass and put home a sharp finish.
El Paso then added a third a minute before halftime when Moreno picked up possession in the left side of the box and found Bryant Farkarlun with a precise cross that he put home at close range. San Antonio tried to get back into the game early in the second half as both Santiago Patiño and Jorge Hernández had opportunities, with Nelson Flores Blanco being ruled offside as he put home the rebound from Hernández’s long-range effort.
Both Méndez and Moreno forced good saves from Batrouni as the second half went on, however, and despite San Antonio’s late pressure it was unable to find a reply, giving Locomotive the Copa Tejas crown 5-3 on aggregate across the two-game regular season series.
Takeaways
San Antonio FC – The hosts came back down to earth after their recent run of positive results and let an opportunity to move back to the top of the Western Conference go in the process as they fell to their in-state rivals. While SAFC threatened more consistently in the second half, the three-goal deficit was always going to prove difficult to dig out from, and now leaves the side in third place in the standings.
El Paso Locomotive FC – Locomotive stepped up its game as it stepped up its level of opponent as Alex Méndez played the central role in a third consecutive shutout victory. El Paso is now back into the top four in the Western Conference and within range of top spot as it faces another key road trip next weekend against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.