EL PASO, Texas – April 16, 2022 – El Paso Locomotive (1-5-0, 3 points, West-12) fell 1-0 in its opening Copa Tejas bout against San Antonio FC on Saturday night. Goalkeeper Evan Newton came up big with six saves to limit the San Antonio offensive.
The opening contest in the Copa Tejas got off to a quiet start with Locomotive finding early aggression to test San Antonio FC’s defense. Quickly, San Antonio swung momentum in their favor, finding a goal quickly through a curved shot from Elliott Collier.
While the hosts continued the pressure, Newton and the defensive line kept San Antonio from advancing their lead while Locomotive began picking up the offensive past the half-hour mark. Defender Harry Brockbank took a shot from distance that seemed destined for a goal and a freekick from Midfielder Dylan Mares was cleared wide.
San Antonio was careless with the ball going into the second half, though El Paso struggled to capitalize against the five-man backline. The second half quickly turned stale with the Locos stepping back to recollect themselves and San Antonio failing to turn on the attack in that time. Newton was able to make one more incredible save before sending Locomotive on an aggressive offensive attack once again, leading to a 67th-minute freekick that was put on frame but punched away. The game quieted down again for the final 20 minutes, leaving the game to end 1-0 in San Antonio’s favor.
UP NEXT: El Paso Locomotive returns to Southwest University Park to host 2021 Western Conference Quarterfinal opponent, Oakland Roots SC. Kickoff is set for Saturday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. MT. Tickets are available online at eplocomotivefc.com/tickets.