Unbeaten no more; Locomotive FC suffer 1st defeat of season in 3-2 loss at Rio Grande Valley
Edinburg, TEXAS - Sooner or later, the El Paso Locomotive engine would run out of gas.
On a rainy night in Edinburg, Locomotive FC suffered their first defeat of the season 3-2 at the hands of division rival Rio Grande Valley Toros FC.
The two clubs went to the halftime period tied at 1-1, but back-to-back RGV goals off in-swinging crosses gave the home team a two goal lead that El Paso couldn't come back from.
The Locos gained new life in the 82nd minute, when Luis Solignac curled home a right footed shot off a lovely back-heel pass from Leandro Carrijo. But El Paso couldn't hammer home the equalizer in the final ten minutes, and saw their crown as the last remaining undefeated team in USL come crashing down.
RGV opened the scoring off a 5th minute goal from Carter Manley, but El Paso tied things up in the 3st minute when Jose Aguinaga deflected in a free kick from Dylan Mares past the keeper for his first goal in a Locomotive uniform.
RGV scored their two second half goals off Locomotive turnovers, with Wan Kuzain scoring in the 61st minute and Rodrgio Lopez adding in the 73rd.
With the win, Rio Grande Valley extended their Mountain Division lead to 20 points over El Paso's 15. It should be noted that RGV has played three more matches than Locomotive.
Next Up: El Paso returns home for a Saturday night home kickoff against rival New Mexico United, with kickoff set for 7:30pm at Southwest University Park. It should mark the season debut for fan favorite Sebastian Velasquez, who was recently re-signed to the club after spending the 2019 season in the team's attacking midfield.
