The Austin Aztex took their first steps into the USL at home tonight as the U23 PDL team shutout the Houston Leones by a score of 2-0. There were 1,500 fans in attendance at Dragon Stadium in Round Rock on a hot, spring night to watch the matchup and see what kind of soccer would be played by this intriguing group of amateur players assembled by Coaches Wolfgang Suhnholz, Bobby Murphy and Alex Parra. Certainly, the home fans were pleased by the outcome, but the general sense among those in the seats was how unexpected and exciting they found the level of play.
The Aztex opponent, the Houston Leones, had defeated their first opponent, the New Orleans Shell Shockers, by a score of 3-0 last weekend. The Aztex had travelled to El Paso and battled the Patriots to a 0-0 draw, earning Aztex goalkeeper, Miguel Gallardo, a place on the PDL’s Team of the Week for his outstanding performance. The speculation was that this week’s matchup, against two relatively untested expansion teams, would pit Houston’s effective offense against the Aztex’s stingy defense.
The game, however, was characterized by the emerging strength of the Aztex attack. Midfielder A.J. Godbolt, a local Austinite, scored first for the Aztex in the 17th minute of play as the Austin squad dominated the early minutes of the game with the strong play of its midfield. Godbolt did not play in the El Paso game and his Austin debut was an auspicious one. Fernando Benitez of the Leones got the game’s first yellow card in the 27th minute as the play became more physical and the Leones struggled to find their offensive rhythm. Their first shot on goal did not occur until the 34th minute of the first half.
As the second half began, it was clear the game was to be more evenly matched. The Leones beefed up their attack with several substitutions, while the Aztex brought in defender Kieron Bernard who has captained several Jamaican National teams. But the key substitutions for the Aztex occurred in the 59th and 60th minutes, as Robin Martinez and Kevin Klaus, both midfielders, were brought into the game. Within a minute or so of getting onto the field, Martinez scored the Aztex second goal on an assist from Klaus. Several substitutions followed by both teams and the Leones certainly mounted a more effective attack in the second half, but the Aztex defense stiffened, Gallardo turned away several shots, and the Leones were held scoreless.
The victory is a significant one for the Aztex in several respects. In addition to the obvious delight of the fans by winning the home opener, the first four games of the season are qualifiers for participation in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup where PDL teams can face competition from professional teams in the USL and MLS. If the Aztex are fortunate enough to be leading their division after four games, they will qualify to participate in the Open Cup competition which would be a significant achievement.
Next Saturday, May 17 at 7:30P, the Aztex will face the DFW Tornados at Dragon Stadium in Round Rock followed by the New Orleans Shell Shockers who will play in Austin on Sunday, May 26 at 2:30P. These two home games loom large in this early part of the Aztex inaugural season.
| | Shots | Saves | Fouls | Offsides | Corners |
| Houston |
7 |
4 |
12 |
3 |
3 |
| Austin |
10 |
3 |
20 |
4 |
1 |
See also:
5/12/08
