Christian Pinzon and Johnny Rodriguez found the back of the net, but the team was unable to complete the comeback in a 3-2 loss
Las Vegas Lights FC sparked a comeback on the road in El Paso on two separate occasions, but the team’s hopes were dashed at the final whistle.
First, after Amando Moreno had opened the scoring for Locomotive in the 7th minute, Ben Mines found Christian Pinzon on the back post with a driven cross. Pinzon arrived on the scene with perfect timing to finish off the equalizer in the 22nd minute.
However, El Paso scored on either side of halftime, through Rubio Rubin in the 34th minute and Moreno again in the 48th minute, stretching the deficit to two.
Then, Themi Antonoglou’s dangerous set piece deliveries finally paid off, as he found Johnny Rodriguez with a pinpoint corner kick on the back post. Rodriguez calmly finished the header to halve the deficit.
From there, the game opened up with big chances for both sides. Head Coach Devin Rensing made several aggressive substitutions and tactical decisions late in the second half, which resulted in major pressure for the equalizer.
Despite that building pressure, Las Vegas was unable to convert. After the referee blew the final whistle before the team could take their final corner kick of the game, the loss was sealed.
Highlights
Standard highlights and extended highlights are available after every match on the Lights YouTube channel (@LasVegasLightsFC).
For standard match highlights of tonight’s match, click here.
For extended highlights, click here.
What They’re Saying
FORWARD CHRISTIAN PINZON
On his overall thoughts…
Yeah, it’s a little disappointing for the guys.
I think we played pretty well, but it’s a work in progress. We just have to take the good and move on.
On how he feels after scoring his first goal of the season…
Good. Long time coming, you know?
Hopefully that opens up the floodgates, not just for me, but for the whole team just to start scoring. So, I’m happy about that.
On his biggest takeaway or lesson from the match…
I think aside from some errors and some turnovers, we played pretty well on the ball. I think slowly but surely we’re starting to build an identity, and this group is going in the right direction.
HEAD COACH DEVIN RENSING
On his initial thoughts on the result…
Yeah, we played well, but we have to find a way to stop conceding soft goals.
We worked too hard, scored two goals, and we just have to find a way to not concede goals and start out a little bit stronger. So, that’s a concern of us, and we have look at that, and I take responsibility as a coach to get better.
On the thinking behind his late aggressive substitutions…
Getting Okere back healthy [was important]. He was on limited minutes, but good to get him back in the game.
We wanted to get Nighte [Pickering] up top and go to a 3-5-2, and that meant Elias [Gartig] coming in who does a great job for us. Edison is always a spark, so he can make things happen as well, and Giorgio can pull some strings in the midfield.
So, it’s a total team effort and those guys off the bench had to be ready, and they were. It’s just a little bit unfortunate that we came up short tonight.
On his thoughts on Christian Pinzon’s goal and role as a captain…
Listen, I’m happy for him.
He’s been working hard all season long. He brings a tremendous amount of positive energy to the group, and he has his never-say-die attitude, so I’m happy for him.
[I’m also] happy for Johnny [Rodriguez on his goal] and for Ben Mines to get the assist as well.
So, you know, what it means is we could score in different ways, and we just have to find a way to close up shop a little bit on the defensive end.
Summary
Lights Starting XI:
Mazzola (GK), Smart (Gartig 73′), Jones, Guillen, Antonoglou (Pickering 72′), Locker (Probo 60′), Leal (Azcona 73′), Ybarra, Pinzon, Mines (Okyere 60′), Rodriguez
El Paso Starting XI:
Romero (GK), Hoban (Ortiz 46′), Twumasi, Alfaro, Ruiz, Quezada, Mendez (Torres 46′), Coronado (Sainte 66′), Gomez, Moreno (Mora 81′), Rubin (Abitia 66′)
Goals:
ELP – Moreno – 7′
LV – Pinzon – 22′
ELP – Rubin – 34′
ELP – Moreno – 48′
LV – Rodriguez – 60′
Discipline:
LV – Yellow, Ybarra – 38′
LV – Yellow, Pinzon – 53′
ELP – Yellow, Torres – 80′
Next Up
The Lights now turn their focus to the club’s second home match against Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday, April 11 for Canines at Cashman Night. Tickets are available now at lasvegaslightsfc.com/tickets.
