Rio Grande Valley FC (9-15-7, 34 pts.) defeated Orange County SC (12-9-9, 45 pts.) at H-E-B Park on Saturday night. The Toros snapped OC’ six-game winning streak.
Darwin Jones snuck into the box in the 7th minute and chipped a ball over Nico Corti to create the first danger shot of the match for Orange County. Luckily for RGV, the ball hit the crossbar and went clear to avoid trailing early.
The match remained active offensively throughout the first 30 minutes of play for the Toros as they tried to gain their rhythm and test the defense. OC nearly scored once again at the 30-minute mark when Kevin Coleman sent a first touch shot to the center of goal but Corti made a nice heads up save.
Jesus Enriquez approached the box in the 32nd minute through the left side, sending a shot to test goalkeeper Frederik Due. The shot was deflected to corner to end the threat.
Kevin Rodriguez took matters into his own hands when he launched into the box, beating the back line of OC and sneaking a ball past the goalkeeper. With the lightly tapped ball to the right edge of the goal, Rodriguez gave RGV a 1-0 lead in the 71st minute.
Jones created some danger as Orange County desperately tried to equalize. His shot which was headed to the left end of the goal was deflected by Corti to a corner, but it never posed any true danger at goal.
Juan Carlos Obregon Jr. made his RGV FC debut in big fashion by scoring a goal after Carlos Small tapped a well assisted ball to him. Small broke down the goalie on the left side of the box and then sent a light pass to Obregon Jr. who sat in the center of the box alone, to shoot in the ball, making it 2-0 in favor of the home team in the 85th minute.
Rio Grande Valley managed a good second half and kept Orange County at bay to lock in the second home victory in a row. A somewhat frustrated OC side was pushed to their limit in the dying stages of the game when Michael Orozco committed a foul to earn a direct red card.
The Toros were not settling for the two goals only. In the 94th minute, Enriquez had a dangerous shot from outside the box that was sent to the right side, hitting the bar. Small had another attempt right after when he took a right footed shot from the center of the box, going past the keeper but was saved by the defending line.
Overall, RGV FC totaled seven shots tonight with three on target. OC totaled 13 shots and two on target.
Offensively, both Enriquez and Small totaled two shots each. On the defensive side, Conor Donovan totaled five clearances along with two blocks. Houston Dynamo loanee, Sam Junqua, totaled four interceptions and one tackle. Rodriguez totaled three tackles, one clearance, adding one total shot and one on target to goal.
Next for RGV FC is a road matchup against New Mexico United. Kickoff will be at 8:30 p.m. CT. The match will be available on ESPN+ and updates on the match will be provided via Twitter at @RGVFC or by following #SomosToros. To see more matchday information, visit www.rgvfc.com.
