In a match that could have ended as a lopsided loss, a draw, or even a close win, San Diego FC suffered its first defeat of the season 2-1 to Austin FC at Q2 Stadium on Sunday.

Things started erratically on the defensive end for SDFC as the team was playing without starters Paddy McNair, Anibal Godoy, Chucky Lozano, and Marcus Ingvartsen due to injuries or being called up by their respective national teams.

Austin FC took advantage right off the opening whistle capitalizing on the first of many breakaway opportunities in the 10th minute when Chula Vista native, Brandon Vazquez, slotted the ball past goalkeeper CJ dos Santos. The home team did not let up and scored again in the 19th minute after executing a free-kick quickly allowing defender Jon Gallagher to get past his coverage for another one-on-one opportunity against dos Santos that he placed in the back of the net.

SDFC was able to cut the lead in half in the 27th minute on a shot from just inside the box from midfielder Luca de la Torre and beat the outstretched arm of goalkeeper Brad Stuver. This seemed to have settled the nerves of the visitors who ended up controlling 71% of the possession by halftime, but the second half was a repeat of the first, although San Diego FC created several more chances on the offensive end.

SDFC had three clear chances to tie the game on the foot of forward Anders Dreyer, with one of those going over the crossbar and the other two being deflected just wide. San Diego also had a couple of chances on late corner kicks that found the head of the midfielder Jeppe Tverskov, but one was tipped away by Stuver and the other deflected off the post.

The final moments saw San Diego FC give one more push to find the tying goal, which saw dos Santos join the attack to no avail as Austin came out with the three points in front of the home fans.

Despite the loss, SDFC  is in fourth-place in the Western Conference and returns home to face LAFC at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, March 29.

“As hard as it is to lose, it’s still a net positive gain in my opinion,” said San Diego FC head coach Mikey Varas. “We lost guys to injury and international duty. These guys came out and wanted to play our game in Austin. That’s a huge credit to them and the direction that we’re going.”

Goalkeeping: B+

CJ dos Santos was left out to dry by his defenders more than my laundry when the washing machine was acting up. He still managed to do his job and keep SDFC in the match along with being helped by Austin FC lacking efficiency with the final touch.

Midfield: B

San Diego FC controlled 77% of the possession with 91% pass accuracy by the end of the game but that only became more dangerous in the second half.

Defenders: Please look at my goalkeeping section and help me find a grade lower than an F.

Attack: C+

The more SDFC controlled the tempo, the more Austin FC had to put numbers in the back to protect the one-goal lead. A combination of being unlucky and just not converting in closed spaces became the deciding factor.

Photo by San Diego FC