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Gameday Report: May 12, Week 10

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 05/12/19, 4:08PM EDT

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New Mexico rallies twice in El Paso; T2, Foxes take victories on the road

New Mexico earned a hard-fought draw against El Paso but were overtaken by Portland for the Western Conference lead after T2 pulled away from Tacoma, while Fresno also took a comfortable road win against the Galaxy II to jump up to third during Sunday’s action in the USL Championship.

Select a match below...

 

LA GALAXY II (0), FRESNO FC (3)

CARSON, Calif. – The Foxes rebounded from their midweek defeat with a convincing victory against Los Dos at Dignity Health Sports Park. Fresno had chances early, and Christian Chaney had a good effort blocked behind by LA’s Adrian Vera in the 12th minute. The Foxes’ early pressure paid off midway through the half as they were awarded a penalty kick that Jackson tucked home with a shot to the left corner. The Brazilian then set up Qudus Lawal for Fresno’s second in the 34th minute after the visitors won possession in midfield allowing Jackson to break in on the right side and deliver a back-post cross for Lawal to finish. Los Dos thought they had pulled a goal back just before halftime by Ethan Zubak’s finish to the right corner was ruled out by an offside flag, while Don Tchilao had a chance early in the second half go high and wide from the right side of the penalty area for the hosts. Fresno effectively wrapped up victory 10 minutes into the second half when Lawal added his second after another turnover allowed Jackson to play him into the left side of the penalty area for the finish. Augustine Williams went close for Los Dos midway through the second half with a shot that went just over the crossbar, but the Foxes saw out the win comfortably late on to move into the top four in the Western Conference.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Qudus Lawal, Fresno FC – Lawal put himself in the right place at the right time twice to notch a pair of goals and lead the Foxes to a convincing road victory.

 

EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC (2), NEW MEXICO UNITED (2)

EL PASO, Texas – New Mexico United rallied twice to earn a point against Locomotive FC at Southwest University Park. Locomotive first threatened in the 22nd minute when a deflected shot by Omar Salgado redirected to Jerome Kiesewetter, whose first-time effort was parried away by NMU goalkeeper Cody Mizell. New Mexico’s Santi Moar flashed a shot just wide of the right post a couple of minutes later, while Mizell was called on to back-to-back saves on Calvin Rezende and Kiesewetter as the game heated up midway through the opening half. The hosts went ahead in the 36th minute as Kiesewetter notched his first goal on home turf since joining El Paso as he lifted home a finish from the left side of the penalty area, but in first-half stoppage time New Mexico hit back as Manny Padilla’s cross from the right was headed home by Sam Hamilton. Locomotive FC regained the lead 20 minutes into the second half when Sebastian Contreras’ cross from the left to the back post was headed home by Kiesewetter, but then both teams were reduced to 10 men as NMU’s Moar and El Paso’s Yuma were sent off after an altercation following a challenge by Yuma in midfield. New Mexico then got back on level terms with 11 minutes to go as second-half substitute Ryan Williams was ruled onside as a low ball from Josh Suggs found him for a close-range finish at the top of the six-yard area. El Paso’s Salgado had a late look at goal that sailed over the crossbar, while Chapa Herrera sent a finish just wide from the top of the penalty area in stoppage time for the hosts, but the points were shared in the first edition of this rivalry clash.  

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Jerome Kiesewetter, El Paso Locomotive FC – Kiesewetter recorded his second consecutive two-goal performance to twice put Locomotive FC in the lead.

 

BETHLEHEM STEEL FC (1), ATL UTD 2 (1)

CHESTER, Pa. – Bethlehem scored a second-half equalizer to negate Atlanta’s early goal at Talen Energy Stadium. Atlanta took the lead in the 11th minute when Laurence Wyke scored his first professional goal with a near-post header off a corner from the left by Jack Metcalf, and went close to a second three minutes later when Jackson Conway’s shot to the left corner was tipped just wide of the post by Steel FC goalkeeper Tomas Romero. Bethlehem’s first good chance arrived shortly after when Chavany Willis’ first-time finish was kept out by Atlanta goalkeeper Dylan Castanheira. Atlanta continued to create the better chances, though, and Conway might have added to the visitor’s lead on the half-hour mark when he beat the high defensive line for a one-on-one breakaway but shot wide of the right post. Atlanta then missed a chance from the penalty spot as Yosef Samuel’s shot rang off the left post and then deflected off Romero before being cleared by the defense, and in the 64th minute Steel FC made them pay as Jamoi Topey got on the end of a free kick from the right by United States U-20 international Matt Real at the back post to level for the hosts. Romero then came up big again twice for Bethlehem as he made saves on Conway and Alessandro Castro to keep the game even as Atlanta pushed for a late winner. The visitors threatened once final time with a minute to go as Luiz Fernando got a clear look on goal, but Romero turned his effort aside to leave honors even.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Tomas Romero, Bethlehem Steel FC – Romero made five saves to keep Steel FC in the game to earn his side a point on home turf. 

 

TACOMA DEFIANCE (1), PORTLAND TIMBERS 2 (4)

TACOMA, Wash. – T2 pulled away in the second half to defeat the Defiance as Dairon Asprilla scored twice for the visitors at Cheney Stadium. Tacoma had the first good look at goal when Shandon Hopeau fired an effort from the edge of the penalty area that forced a save from T2 goalkeeper Jake Leeker, but a defensive error by the hosts allowed Portland to take the lead as Foster Langsdorf seized on the chance and forced a finish home. Defiance almost equalized in the 37th minute when Justin Dhillon was denied on the doorstep by Leeker after a fine low cross by Hopeau, but Dhillon leveled before halftime on a defensive mistake by T2 that allowed him a free run on goal for a low finish to the left corner. Portland regained the lead four minutes into the second half, however, as Asprilla converted from the penalty spot after Brayan Hurtado was brought down in the penalty area, and Hurtado added a third in the 59th minute as he finished off a perfectly-executed counterattack that saw Carlos Anguiano’s pass spring him in behind the Defiance defense. Asprilla added his second of the game two minutes later as Eryk Williamson notched his seventh assist of the season and that wrapped up all three points for the visitors as they rebounded from defeat in its most recent outing.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Dairon Asprilla, Portland Timbers 2 – Asprilla scored twice as Portland pulled away from its Cascadia rival and ensured it would be in the top two in the West at the end of the weekend.

 

OTTAWA FURY FC (2), NORTH CAROLINA FC (1)

OTTAWA – Kevin Oliveira’s goal with 20 minutes to go lifted Fury FC past NCFC at TD Place. The hosts almost struck inside the opening two minutes as Carl Haworth’s free kick from 20 yards hit the right post and rebounded to safety, and both Haworth and Mour Samb forced saves from North Carolina goalkeeper Darrin MacLeod in the opening 15 minutes. Ottawa continued to carry much of the play, and after both Chris Mannella and Wal Fall narrowly missed the target with long-range efforts Fury FC took the lead four minutes before halftime when Mour Samb brought down Dakota Barnathan’s long ball forward cleanly and finished low into the left corner for the lead. North Carolina pulled level in the 66th minute when Steven Miller curled home a great finish into the top-right corner from the left side of the penalty area, but Fury FC responded quickly as Oliveira struck four minutes later with a low finish to the right corner after being picked out by a fine pass by Fall just inside the penalty area. That goal proved to be the difference as Ottawa avoided conceding late for a second consecutive game to earn a big home victory.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Wal Fall, Ottawa Fury FC – Fall put in a strong two-way performance in midfield as he won 12 of 15 duels overall and set up the game-winning goal by Kevin Oliveira.

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