Rio Grande Valley Bravos News Release - www.rgvbravos.com
Saturday, May 23, 2009
HIDALGO, TX -- Strikers Salvador Luna and Alex Ríos made history Saturday night as RGV Bravos FC defeated the Houston Leones in a historic 2-1 victory at Valley View High School Stadium.
Luna scored the Navy Blue-and-Gold’s first goal at home in the 21st minute, while Ríos notched what proved to be the game winner in the 33rd. It was Luna’s and Ríos’ debut with Bravos FC against Houston.
Along with the victory, Bravos FC (1-1-1) evened its record and accumulated four points in the Mid South Division of the Southern Conference of the USL Premier Development League.
On the other side of the field, the loss left Houston (0-1-4) winless in its first five games of the season.
After being out-muscled the first 10 minutes of the match, Bravos FC’s speed and one-touch passing started to frustrate the Leones.
Eleven minutes later Luna made Bravos FC history by scoring the first Bravos golazo before Valley fans in the 21st minute to put the Navy Blue-and-Gold up 1-0.
With Bravos FC dominating the match, Rios took advantage of a golden opportunity by stopping the ball with his chest and catching it in mid air with a cannon shot that beat Houston goalkeeper Lukas Simon to give RGV a 2-0 in the 33rd minute.
The Leones cut the score in half on a questionable call by center referee Pedro Trejo who yellow-carded Bravos FC defender Edgar Coria for a foul in the goal area, which resulted in a penalty kick for Houston midfielder Walberto Vásquez.
RGV goalkeeper Juan Carlos García put a finger on the midfielder’s shot, but the ball powered through to cut the deficit in half 2-1 in the 65th minute.
With the wind at their backs in much of the second half, Coach “Moreira’s” squad showed some symptoms of fatigue due to the fast-paced, one-touch soccer clinic they put on in the opening portion of the game. However, Bravos FC never gave up and always looked to tally a third goal on the scoreboard until Trejo blew the final whistle to give the Navy Blue-and-Gold a historic 2-1 victory over Houston before 1,253 fans.
