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SAFC Sweeps Season Series Against S2

By CHARLIE CORR - charlie.corr@uslsoccer.com, 08/20/16, 10:30PM EDT

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Castillo’s second-half tally holds up during San Antonio’s 1-0 victory


Photo courtesy of San Antonio FC

SAN ANTONIO – Rafa Castillo tallied his fourth goal of the season early in the second half and San Antonio FC earned a 1-0 victory against Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Saturday in front of a crowd of 6,417 at Toyota Field. SAFC swept the season series against S2, having previously earned a 3-0 win at Seattle to open its first USL campaign on April 3. During the halftime break Saturday, lightning was in the vicinity, delaying the start of the second half by several minutes. SAFC and S2 are both fighting for a spot in the postseason picture and San Antonio helped its cause with the full three points, improving to 8-8-7 (31 points) overall and 6-3-3 at home. Seattle drops to 7-11-6 (27 points) overall and 2-6-3 on the road.

Scoring:
51’ – SA – Rafa Castillo (Taylor Morgan)

Three Things That Mattered:

  • 1. Following a first half in which SAFC had far more scoring chances than S2, the host side finally struck early in the second. Rafa Castillo and Taylor Morgan had some strong interchanges in the buildup in the 51st minute, with Morgan supplying the through ball to Castillo who fired left-footed into the left side of the net. He is now tied with Franck Tayou for the team lead with four goals this season. Morgan, who was a late first-half sub for Cesar Elizondo who left with an injury, he notched his first assist of the season.

  • 2. Elsewhere on the pitch, Tayou was a dominant presence for SAFC in terms of creating chances, especially in the first half. Two first-half plays that stood out included an 18th-minute run in which Carlos Alvarez’s through ball set Tayou up perfectly, but his left-footed attempt was pushed just right. Then in the 27th minute, Tayou had his back to goal, flicked it to himself and fired a vicious strike, but directly at S2 goalkeeper Charlie Lyon.

  • 3. San Antonio announced this week that goalkeeper Josh Ford and defender Stephen McCarthy would miss the remainder of the season with injuries, so naturally some heavy focus is on SAFC’s defense the rest of the way as the club attempts for a postseason position. Against Seattle, goalkeeper Matt Cardone had a relatively quiet night, needing to make only one first-half save on a Victor Mansaray header in the 31st minute. Cardone averted danger in the 67th minute when Mansaray tried to loft his shot over the SAFC goalkeeper, but Cardone made the save and sacrificed a bump to his arm on the play.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match:
Rafa Castillo, San Antonio FC –
Castillo tallied the lone goal and would have had a second if not cleared off the line in second-half stoppage time.

Upcoming Games:
San Antonio FC
at Saint Louis FC – Aug. 27 – 8:30 p.m. ET, World Wide Technology Soccer Park
Seattle Sounders FC 2 vs. Portland Timbers 2, Aug. 28 – 10:30 p.m. ET, Starfire Stadium

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