Rio Grande Valley (0-2-1) earn a point on the road versus El Paso Locomotive FC (0-1-2), with a come-from-behind 2-2 draw. This marked the first match of the Copa Tejas.
The Toros kicked off the Copa Tejas with an attempt blocked by Isidro Martinez who shot from the left side of the box in the 5th minute. Jesus Enriquez received a ball from Wilmer A. Cabrera where he shot a right footed shot from the left side of the box but misses to the right of the goal. Locomotive FC hit right back as Rickie Ryan sent a shot from outside the box in the 27th minute.
James Kiffe sent a left footed shot form the left side of the box, but it was saved in the bottom right corner of the goal in the 32nd minute. One minute later, following a corner, Cabrera shot from the left side of the box but missed to the right.
Both teams continued to fight through the rest of the half. Unfortunately, Nick Ross sent the ball to the bottom right corner going passed Toros goalkeeper Tyler Deric in stoppage time.
The second half started with a long left footed shot to the bottom right corner from Locomotive's Sebastian Contreras in the 49th minute. Locomotive hit again in the 55th minute as Bryam Rebellon sent a shot from outside the box but missed to the right side of the goal.
Two minutes later, Martinez sent a right footed shot from more than 35 yards but missed up high. Kevin Rodriguez had an attempt following a corner but missed to the left side of the goal in the 60th minute. Right after, Enriquez shot from the center of the box but missed to the left.
In the 71st minute, Camilo Monroy headed the ball but sent it too high. For Locomotive, Ross sent a ball to Derek Gebhard where he then shot from the center of the box passed Deric marking the second goal of the match, 0-2.
The Toros didn’t want to end the night just yet. In the 79th minute, Monroy sent a ball to Romilio Hernandez where he took a right footed shot from outside the box to the top right corner marking the first goal of the season for RGV FC.
RGV FC gained momentum after the goal. Monroy had an attempt as she shot from outside the box but was saved in the top right corner. Locomotive conceded a foul where Martinez sent a cross to Enriquez. Enriquez headed the ball from the center of the box to the bottom left corner for the equalizer.
Kevin Rodriguez and Nico Lemoine debuted for the Toros. Victor Garza returned to the pitch after a season ending injury last season. Tyler Deric, Chris Duvall, Alejandro Fuenmayor and Sam Junqua played the full 90 minutes on loan from the Dynamo.
The Toros scored the first two goals of the 2019 season while totaling 11 shots, three on target. As a team, RGV FC had am 84.4% passing accuracy. Enriquez led the team with three shots, one shot on target and added a 96.4% of passing accuracy. Martinez ended the night with nine total crosses and 81.8% passing accuracy. In the defensive side, Kyle Adams had four clearances and two tackles while Hernandez totaled seven tackles. Deric had two saves out of the four shots on target by Locomotive.
Scoring Summary: RGV FC – Hernandez 79’ (Assist by Monroy), Enriquez 90’ (Assist by Martinez); ELP – Ross 46’, Gebhard 78’ (Assist by Ross).
Misconduct Summary: RGV FC – Dunwell 22’, Hernandez 23’, Duvall 23’; ELP – Rebellon 59’, Contreras 72’.
ELP – Ketterer, Fox, Kiffe, Rebellon, N’Toko, Ross, Monsalvez, Ryan, Salgado (Castellanos 62’), Contreras (Herrera 80’), Gebhard (Partida 88’).
Subs Not Used: Fordah, Diaz, Navarro, Rezende.
Stats: Shots: 12, Shots on Goal: 4, Saves: 1, Fouls: 16, Corner Kicks: 4, Offsides: 3.
RGV FC – Deric, Duvall, Adams, Junqua, Fuenmayor, Rodriguez (Garza 23’), Hernandez, Dunwell (Lemoine 23’), Enriquez, A. Cabrera (Monroy 22’), Martinez.
Subs Not Used: D. Cabrera, Samuels, Castellanos, Corti.
Stats: Shots: 11, Shots on Goal: 3, Saves: 2, Fouls: 16, Corner Kicks: 6, Offsides: 0.
