MBFC Falls 1-0 at Home to San Antonio FC
SEASIDE, California (Saturday, September 7, 2024) – Monterey Bay F.C. (7-13-7, 28 points) fell 1-0 to Western Conference foe San Antonio FC (7-12-7, 28 points) on Marvel Night at Cardinale Stadium, presented by Montage Health. Morey Doner became the first player in Club history to reach 100 appearances for Monterey Bay, and Christian Volesky made his official return to Seaside in Crisp and Kelp as a second-half substitute in the match.
Monterey Bay’s Xavi Gnaulati earned the Union its first opportunity of the night when he drew a foul in between the box and the corner flag on the left side of the pitch in the 9th minute. Alex Dixon took the free kick short to Gnaulati, who was set up in space just above the 18. The 19-year-old midfielder pivoted slightly to get the ball on his right foot and then curled a dangerous-looking ball towards goal, but it missed just wide of the far post. A corner kick for Monterey Bay a minute later looked likely to be the opener instead, but the home side could not control the ball in the box and spilled out for a goal kick. San Antonio FC looked to steal a score against the run of play in the 26th minute, but the left-footed shot by Jesus Brigido missed wide of the left post. Walmer Martínez led a counter-attack for the Crisp-and-Kelp just before the break, but his shot from distance missed wide and the first half ended without a score.
Nearly a dozen minutes into the second half, Carlos Guzmán was whistled for a foul inside the visitors’ box and San Antonio FC was awarded a penalty kick. Luis Solignac stepped up to the spot and converted to Carlos Herrera’s left to give the Texas side the 1-0 lead. Volesky made his return debut as a substitute in the 68th minute, giving the Union another attacking option for the final quarter hour of the match. Monterey Bay held a several-minute stretch of possession in the San Antonio FC half of the pitch through the 87th minute, but the visitors’ held strong defensively to deny the hosts a decent shot on frame and the match ended 1-0 in favor of San Antonio FC.
Up Next
Monterey Bay travels down to the city of neon lights next Saturday, September 14 for a fixture with Las Vegas Lights FC at Cashman Field in Week 28 of the 2024 USL Championship regular season. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT with live streaming of the match available on ESPN+.
Additional Notes
- Jerry Ayon was unavailable for selection to serve a one-match red card suspension.
- Missing the match due to injury were Luther Archimède (knee), Chase Boone (knee), Diego Gutierrez (groin), Jesse Maldonado (knee), and Tristan Trager (lower leg).
Information
Date: September 7, 2024
Venue: Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Weather: Sunny and 63 degrees
Attendance: 3,827
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
Monterey Bay F.C. 0 0 0
San Antonio FC 0 1 1
SA: Luis Solignac (penalty) 57’
Lineups
Monterey Bay F.C. (3-4-2-1): Carlos Herrera; Carlos Guzmán, Alex Lara, Kai Greene; Alex Dixon, Adrian Rebollar, Mobi Fehr, Morey Doner; Xavi Gnaulati (Miguel Guerrero, 78’), Walmer Martínez (Grant Robinson, 68’); Michael Gonzalez (Christian Volesky, 68’)
Subs not used: Antony Siaha, Pierce Gallaway, Max Glasser, Anthony Orendain
San Antonio FC (3-5-2): Richard Sanchez; Carter Manley, Kendall Burks, Omar Grey, Rece Buckmaster; Luke Haackenson, Sofiane Djeffal (Richard Windbichler, 45’), Jorge Hernandez, Jesus Brigido (Hugo Mbongue, 80’); Juan Agudelo (Landry Walker, 89’), Luis Solignac
Subs not used: Brandon Gongora, Andres Bacho
Stats Summary: MB / SA
Shots: 13 / 4
Shots on Goal: 0 / 3
Saves: 2 / 0
Corner Kicks: 6 / 3
Fouls: 14 / 11
Possession: 64% / 36%
Misconduct Summary
MB: Walmer Martínez (caution) 16’
SA: Carter Manley (caution) 64’
MB: Kai Greene (caution) 90+7’
SA: Hugo Mbongue (caution) 90+10’
Officials
Referee: Elijio Arreguin
Assistant Referee: Matthew Schwartz
Assistant Referee: Peter Hanson
Fourth Official: Alberto Azpeitia-Palomino
