Soccer News: Scorpions Could Clinch A Coveted Spot in The Championship
The Scorpions beat the Silverbacks 1-0 in Atlanta over the weekend to set a team record for road points accumulated. San Antonio has earned 22 points away from Toyota Field, which bests the previous mark of 20 set in 2012.
Coming into the match, the Alamo City boys had been a strong second half team with 65% of their goals on the season scored after the intermission. 38% of those tallies in the second frame were scored in the opening 15 minutes of the half, and the trend continued against the Silverbacks. The Scorpions did not manage a single shot on goal in the first half, but in just the 49′ minute they took the lead on their first attempt of the match. Cesar Elizondo collected a ball that had been knocked away from midfielder Rafael Castillo on the left side of the Atlanta 18-yard-box. Elizondo took one touch to set himself up and then hit a screamer from the edge of the area that Silverbacks goalie Eric Ati had no chance to stop from going into the far upper 90.
Goalkeeper Josh Saunders was called upon to make an important save in the 60′ and then had his crossbar rattled in the 74′ on a big hit from Junior Sandoval as Atlanta turned up the pressure. Coach Marcina made the right tactical moves, though, as the defense clamped down for their ninth clean sheet of the year.
The Scorpions had heavy traffic down their attacking left side through Billy Forbes and Elizondo, but were unable to generate any shots on goal in the opening 45 minutes. Atlanta played more of a counter attacking long-ball style and was able to generate two chances that required work from Saunders. The most dangerous of those was a shot by Silverbacks midfielder Lucas Paulini from just outside the 18-yard-box in the 25′. The ball was headed towards the roof of San Antonio’s net, but Saunders made an acrobatic, fingertip save at a full stretch to keep the score knotted at 0-0.
The Scorpions will enjoy fall in San Antonio the next two weeks as they host the Ottawa Fury on October 4 and then the Tampa Bay Rowdies on October 11 at Toyota Field. Atlanta, meanwhile, will hit the road for two straight, starting with a midweek matchup with the Fury in Ottawa.
