After going six matches unbeaten, Seattle Sounders FC 2 has now lost two matches on the bounce in USL play after falling 1-0 to San Antonio FC on the road on Saturday night.
The Western Conference opponents battled to a scoreless draw in the first half, with both sides forcing a couple of half chances. A combination of wayward finishing and defiant goalkeeping from S2 goalkeeper Charlie Lyon kept the score even at 0-0.
With SAFC piling on the pressure half way through the opening period, Lyon stood tall and made an astounding reflex save down to his left on a point-blank shot.
After a 30-minute weather delay due to lightning strikes in the surrounding area, S2 fell behind just five minutes after the restart. A perfectly executed 1-2 passing exchange for SAFC put Rafael Castillo through on goal, and his well-struck curling effort left Lyon with no chance.
S2 nearly found an equalizer in the 67th minute courtesy of individual heroics from Lyon and strike Victor Mansaray. With SAFC throwing numbers forward in search of a second goal, Lyon made a fantastic save on the ground to deny a clear 1v1 opportunity. S2 then rushed down the field, and Mansaray struck a clever volley in an attempt to chip the SAFC goalkeeper, but he was denied by a sprawling full-extension save.
As S2 pushed for an equalizer, head coach Ezra Hendrickson threw on Sounders Academy midfielders Jamie Dimitroff (72nd minute) and Jake Morris (85th minute) for their USL debuts. Additionally, midfielder Irvin Parra made his bow for the club after being sidelined for a few weeks with an injury, but none of the late additions could make the difference for S2 in the waning minutes of the match.
S2 will look to turn things around with a massive Cascadia clash against Portland Timbers 2 at Starfire Stadium on Monday, Aug. 29 (7:30 p.m. PT, live stream on SoundersFC.com).
