Austin Aztex

Patriots Drop 2-1 Loss On Aztex

Disputed penalty kick is the difference

Facing three home games in three nights, the last of which is an international exhibition against the Tigres of Monterrey, the Austin Aztex (7-2-1) dropped a tough contest to the El Paso Patriots (6-4-3), 2-1. The win puts the Patriots one point behind division-leading Austin as the Aztex prepare to play the Baton Rouge Capitals on Saturday night with the hope of extending their lead.

Friday night’s game was played under windy conditions which may have contributed to the lack of offensive rhythm in the Aztex play. The wind favored the Patriots in the first half and they did a good job of pressing the Aztex defense, turning their first shot on goal into a score in the 17th minute.

The game may have turned, however, on an odd series of events and calls which occurred around the 30th minute. On a Patriot drive into the penalty area, the ball was turned away by Aztex defenders and the ball was retrieved by keeper Craig Hill. However, the referee believed the ball had been passed back to the keeper intentionally, meaning the ball could not be touched. A foul was called inside the penalty box and an indirect kick awarded.

On the ensuing kick, which was blocked by the Aztex wall, the referee signaled that the ball had been blocked by a defender’s hand, so a penalty kick was awarded. Patriots forward Griego converted the PK in the 31st minute and the Patriots went into halftime with a 2-0 advantage.

As often occurs with games played under windy conditions, the second half was a mirror image of the first. The Aztex were able to keep the ball in the Patriots defensive end for much of the half, and while they had multiple scoring opportunities, they were unable to convert until the 61st minute when Alcala scored off an assist from Austin da Luz. The Patriots managed only a single shot in the second half, but the Aztex were unable to score again despite taking 12 shots over the course of the period.

The Baton Rouge game on Saturday night in Austin now looms more important. The Aztex cannot be satisfied with their uneven performance against El Paso and they want to put more distance between themselves and the Patriots in the divisional race.

In addition, they would like to generate some momentum going into Sunday night’s exhibition against the UNAL Tigres, Mexico’s First Division professional squad from Monterrey. Despite the fact that the game is an exhibition, the Aztex anticipate the season’s largest home crowd and, naturally, want to give a strong performance in this international “friendly”.