EL PASO, Texas – El Paso Locomotive FC (West-2, 9-4-3, 30 points) fell 0-1 to New Mexico United on Saturday night at Southwest University Park in the 2023 Derby Del Camino Real rematch. With the loss, El Paso’s 12-game unbeaten streak was unfortunately snapped in front of 8,411 Locomotive fans, the largest crowd in club history.
“It’s a bit sour,” Head Coach and Technical Director Brian Clarhaut said about the loss. “For me, I don’t throw it away. We need to learn from it. For us, it’s a bit of a wakeup call. We can’t get complacent. We need to be sharper. That’s something we’ll talk about and get ready for [Monterey Bay FC]. This is a group that will respond.”
A gritty contest from start to finish, Locomotive dominated possession in both halves (69%, 1st; 60%, 2nd) but were unable to break down New Mexico’s backline. Though Locomotive recorded three shots in the first half, its first shot on target would come in the second half, courtesy of midfielder Liam Rose.
In total, Locomotive had 12 shots with three on target, the closest of opportunities coming in the 73′ from forward Luis “Lucho” Solignac, who found space just outside the six-yard box, but his ball was deflected into the outside side netting.
New Mexico would eventually break the deadlock in the 89′. Moving quickly on the counter after stealing the ball at half field, New Mexico outnumbered Locomotive’s defense 3-v-2 in front of the box. Nicky Hernandez would set up the pass for Santi Moar who slotted the ball into the back of the net.
Despite their best efforts, Locomotive were unable to find the equalizer. El Paso will now need to learn from tonight’s match and shift its focus to next week’s road trip at Monterey Bay.
FORECAST: 97ºF, clear skies
TEAM NOTES
- With tonight’s loss, El Paso’s 12-game undefeated streak was snapped. This is the first loss for Locomotive since March 18, 2023, a 1-3 home loss against Detroit City FC.
- 8,411 fans attended tonight’s contest, the largest crowd ever in Locomotive history. The previous record stood at 8,324 for the 2019 Historic Home Opener on March 9, 2019 vs OKC Energy FC.
- Per Opta, El Paso attempted 584 passes in this game, the highest total in a single match in the USL Championship this season.
- This is the first match that El Paso have not scored in since the season opener against Sacramento Republic FC (March 11, 2023).
SCORING SUMMARY
- NM 1 – Santi Moar (Nicky Hernandez) 89′
LINEUPS
ELP – (4-1-2-3) Benny Diaz, Bence Pavkovics, Erik McCue, Eder Borelli – C (Nick Hinds), Marc Navarro (Miles Lyons), Eric Calvillo, Liam Rose, Aaron Gomez, Denys Kostyshyn, Luis Solignac, Ricardo Zacarias (Emmanuel Sonupe)
Subs Not Used: Javier Garcia, Louis Herrera, Luis Moreno, Diego Abarca
NM– (4-5-1) Alex Tambakis, Austin Yearwood, Kalen Ryden, Sam Hamilton – C, Harry Swartz, Justin Portillo, Sergio Rivas, Amando Moreno (Nicky Hernandez), Greg Hurst, Santi Moar (Milo Garvanian,), Daniel Bruce
Subs Not Used: Ford Parker Kyle Colonna, Andres Robles, Michael Wyparlo, Alex Waggoner
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
- ELP – Erik McCue (Yellow) 17′, Bence Pavkovics (Yellow) 86′
- NM – Kalen Ryden (Yellow) 39′, Daniel Bruce (Yellow) 51′, Amando Moreno (Yellow) 70′, Santi Moar (Yellow) 89′
MATCH STATS: ELP | NM
GOALS: 0|1
ASSISTS: 0|1
POSS. %: 65|35
SHOTS: 12|9
SHOTS ON GOAL: 3|5
SAVES: 4|3
FOULS: 8|12
OFFSIDES: 2|6
CORNERS: 7|7