LAS VEGAS, Nv. – Saint Louis FC lost 1-0 against Las Vegas Lights FC in front of 6,651 fans at Cashman Field in Match 18 of the USL Regular Season.
Las Vegas scored the lone goal in the 49th minute as Raul Mendiola was played behind the defense and found himself one-on-one against STLFC goalkeeper Tomas Gomez and he slotted past the onrushing goalie for his second goal of the season. The win sees Las Vegas Lights FC improve to 5-6-5 with 20 points while Saint Louis FC remains on 22 points with a 5-6-7 record in the USL Western Conference.
The first half saw Saint Louis FC with a majority of the possession and more chances including three shots and three corners. The first chance for the away side arrived in the 18th minute when Joey Calistri crossed the ball low for a sliding Kyle Greig but the ball was hooked clear at the last minute by Marcelo Alatorre. Las Vegas would respond through Daigo Kobayshi who hit a volley from outside the box that crashed off the crossbar in the 26th minute. Saint Louis FC looked like they opened the scoring in the 43rd minute when Sam Fink got on the end of a corner kick and his left-footed shot found the back of the net but the goal was disallowed for a foul in the box. Las Vegas had another chance before halftime but Tomas Gomez was there to save as both sides remained even at the break.
The second half saw Las Vegas break the deadlock as Mendiola finished past Gomez who was out of his box to sweep up the counter attack in the 49th minute. The home side nearly doubled their lead in the 54th minute but Sammy Ochoa had his first-time effort miss narrowly wide after a cross in the box. Saint Louis FC would press for an equalizer and nearly scored from a free kick that was taken by Aedan Stanley but punched clear by Ricardo Ferrino in the 87th minute. Seth Rudolph would then have a chance at the end but his shot went over the crossbar with the final kick of the game in the 95th minute to see the comeback effort come up short. Saint Louis FC is back home next Saturday, July 14th at 7:30 p.m. CT as they host Tulsa Roughnecks FC.
“I thought we shot ourselves in the foot again with what was an extremely poor goal to concede from a counter attack situation,” said STLFC Head Coach Anthony Pulis. “I felt like we were well in the game but poor decision-making and execution in the final-third let us down in two or three key moments. The guys deserve credit though as they kept pushing right to the end in what were really tough conditions tonight.”
UPCOMING GAMES:
Saint Louis FC vs. Tulsa Roughnecks FC – Saturday, July 14th at 7:30 p.m. CT at Toyota Stadium
Las Vegas Lights FC at OKC Energy FC – Wednesday, July 11th at 7:00 p.m. CT at Taft Stadium
