SACRAMENTO (Fwrd Axis) — San Antonio FC continued their road trip on Saturday night in California but fell 0-1 to Sacramento Republic FC (5-3-4) at Health Heart Park.
The loss snaps a two-match winning streak for San Antonio, who fell into a tie with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC for first place in the USL Championship Western Conference.
“Defensively we were solid,” SAFC Head Coach Alen Marcina said. “Denied opportunities, and moving forward we have to be a little better with the ball. Continue to look to create opportunities.”
The match’s lone goal came in the first half as Douglas Martinez put home a header off a corner kick past San Antonio keeper Jordan Farr to put the home side in front for good.
Here are three points from San Antonio FC’s loss to Sacramento on Saturday:
Conceding first
San Antonio conceded first for just the third time in 11 games. Unfortunately for SAFC, the other two times they gave up the first goal resulted in losses to Phoenix Rising FC. That same result would hold true once again on Saturday.
When scoring first, SAFC is 9-0 on the season but when they fail to score the opening goal, they are winless at 0-3.
.@Douglas_M19 with the clinical header to get things going!
#SACvSA | @madeshade pic.twitter.com/R94GShZlvp
— Republic FC (@SacRepublicFC) June 5, 2022
It’s disappointing to concede on a set piece. It’s something we take great pride in,” Marcina said. “Unfortunately [there was] a man left free.”
Solid D in defeat
Despite the loss, San Antonio played well defensively. The second half saw the club not allow Republic FC to set up their offense, getting them to fire off shots that went wide or from just inside the box. The lone solid chance for Sacramento came late in the match when Farr parried a shot away to prevent Republic FC from taking a two-goal lead.
San Antonio allowed three shots on target, the ninth match where SAFC held their opponent to just five or fewer shots on target.
“Moving forward we have to be a little better with the ball,” Marcina said. Continue to look to create opportunities. We’ll learn from this, and use it as motivation to be ready for our next opponent.”
Responding after defeat
While SAFC was defeated on Saturday, this season has seen the club respond well after a loss and not lose two in a row all season. While in seasons past, San Antonio has struggled to get points, they have gone 12 matches in 2022 without having a draw.
“I think all these guys in this locker room hate to lose,” SAFC Defender Connor Maloney said. “We’re going to do everything we can to not lose two in a row.”
UP NEXT:
San Antonio FC is now 9-3-0 (27 points) on the season and will return to the pitch next Saturday when they face Monterey Bay FC (4-8-0) at 5 p.m. from Cardinale Stadium.
