EL PASO, Texas – A pair of late goals by Josue Aaron Gomez lifted El Paso Locomotive FC to a 2-0 victory against San Antonio FC in a preseason contest at the Westside Soccer Complex on Saturday afternoon.

Gomez’s goals came following a line change by the defending USL Championship title holder with 15 minutes remaining, with San Antonio playing current Academy players to close out the contest. The Mexican veteran opened the scoring in the 84th minute as he intercepted an intended back-pass and put away the finish.

Two minutes later, Gomez bagged his second as he got on then end of a low cross by Artem Kholod for a close-range finish.

Prior to the closing stages the teams had played to a stalemate. El Paso goalkeeper Benny Diaz was forced into an important save in the 33rd minute as San Antonio looked for the breakthrough, while two minutes later new Locomotive FC signing Marc Navarro blocked an effort from the top of the penalty area by the visitors.

Diaz made another pair of saves shortly after the hour-mark before San Antonio withdrew its First Team, and Gomez made the most of his opportunities to pick up a confidence-boosting victory.  

“It's always good to end up on the positive side of the scoreline and for us to bring that winning mentality,” said Locomotive FC Head Coach and Technical Director Brian Clarhaut. “We battled against the defending champions, and it was a physical contest, not an easy game. It was important to put in a strong lineup and see what these guys could do. I talked to the boys about being a hard team to beat and that's what we need to be.”