SAN ANTONIO – Jorge Hernandez scored the only goal as defending Championship title holders and No. 4 seed San Antonio FC took a 1-0 victory against No. 5 seed Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Saturday night in the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2023 USL Championship Playoffs.

Both teams had chances in the first half as San Antonio’s Tani Oluwaseyi had an effort cleared out of the six-yard area by Switchbacks defender Matt Mahoney after his finish had slipped past goalkeeper Christian Herrera, while Colorado Springs’ Drew Skundrich had a chance cleared off the line by SAFC’s Shannon Gomez after a goalmouth scramble for the visitors.

Hernandez struck 10 minutes into the second half, however, as San Antonio’s high pressure forced a turnover that the attacking midfielder put away past a scrambling defense. The Switchbacks pressed late to try and find an equalizer and almost found one with six minutes to go when Aaron Wheeler had a pair of chances blocked at close range by Jacori Hayes, but SAFC was able to put the game away to advance.

Three Things That Mattered 

1. There has always been one rule to beat San Antonio FC over recent seasons – you must score first. When Jorge Hernandez’s goal found the net 10 minutes into the second half on a classic piece of SAFC play, seizing on a hesitant opponent to capitalize with pressure and a clinical finish, it was almost assured that the script the hosts followed to win the league title a season ago would be completed. San Antonio has now gone more than three calendar years without suffering defeat as it opened its title defense and sent a message to whoever its next opponent will be.  

2. As solid as San Antonio looked for an hour, having other chances to take the lead prior to Hernandez’s finish, it regressed badly in the final half-hour in terms of retaining possession and allowing Colorado Springs to hang around with hope of finding a winner. It wasn’t until second-half stoppage time that San Antonio recorded another shot after taking the lead as it missed out on two opportunities to seal the result. SAFC has always been fine playing without the ball, but it needed some great defensive work by Jacori Hayes and Nick Marsman to keep the Switchbacks off the board late when Aaron Wheeler almost found an equalizer on the best chance of the night for the visitors. SAFC trusts its defense, but it likely will need to hold possession more consistently moving forward.

3. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s frustrations with the way the game played out were evident late on, best illustrated by James Musa’s punt after a foul allowed more time the Switchbacks didn’t have to waste to tick off the clock. Much of that is likely due to how difficult San Antonio is to play against, but it’s now 11 games in a row since Colorado Springs has defeated SAFC going back to March, 2019. The Switchbacks had a very good season, again, but got the worst possible draw, and will have to try and figure out a way to solve this hex next season.

USLChampionship.com Player of the Game

Carter Manley, San Antonio FC – Manley produced a stellar defensive display, making five interceptions, three clearances and five recoveries to help his side earn a shutout.

Scoring Summary
SA – Jorge Hernandez 55’

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