The Switchbacks started off strong and fast, earning the first goal of the evening only 11 minutes into play. #11 Herbert Endeley made a forward pass to #77 Justin Dhillon, which gave him just enough time to hit the center of the box right around the 12-yard mark before taking the ball back on a return pass from Dhillon, where he then opened his Switchbacks account netting it in the right in the center of goal. The lead didn’t last long however, as less than two minutes later #30 Robert Coronado would settle the ball dead center of the net on the six-yard line off a pass from #10 Amando Moreno, and swiftly find the back of the net.
The rest of the first half saw no other changes to the scoreboard, but a peppering of yellow cards for the Switchbacks would find them being forced to play with more care. Despite this, COS managed to hold possession for over 44% of the game, with a passing accuracy of 85%.
The second half of the match had an almost immediate game-impacting call, when in the 46th minute #10 Zach Zandi would earn his second yellow of the evening, dropping the Switchbacks down to a ten-men team for almost the entirety of the second half. COS adjusted their play, switching to a more defensive position and spreading out, and Switchbacks goalie #24 Abraham Romero showed his quality with two immense saves late in the game to keep the score even. Despite the player disadvantage, El Paso was unable to score a second time and the night ended in a 1-1 draw, with each team taking home a point.
The Switchbacks have scored in six of their six games this season, which is more often than any other team in the USL Championship for 2025. They have a quick turnaround as they head on the road for a match against San Antonio FC on Wednesday April 23rd. They’ll return home for our Galactic Night on May 3rd, as they go head to head with Phoenix Rising FC at Weidner Field. For tickets to that match, and all others, head to switchbacksfc.com/schedule.
