Blog

MLS: Late Heroics Lift Lions Past San Jose Earthquakes

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Florida Sports Wire) – Orlando City SC (4-5-4, 16 points) picked up its first ever victory at the San Jose Earthquakes (3-10-1, 10 points) on Saturday night, with forward Jack Lynn scoring a late difference maker at PayPal Park to earn a 1-0 Lions win.

The two sides looked to be headed for a scoreless draw nearly into second-half stoppage time, but Lynn struck in the 89th minute to earn Orlando its third win away from home.

After entering the match just 16 minutes in to replace Duncan McGuire, Lynn totaled three shots on the night, nearly breaking through just minutes prior with a header that was saved by the San Jose goalkeeper with a desperation effort.

On the defensive end, goalkeeper Pedro Gallese earned his fourth clean sheet of the season, with big saves on both sides of the half to hold the home side scoreless.

The Lions took the lead late in the match, through the foot of Lynn, who entered the game early in the first half after an injury to McGuire. The play was started by Iván Angulo, who used a speedy individual effort to catch San Jose on the counter, eventually lofting a cross to Martín Ojeda. Ojeda was unable to fully connect on his volley attempt, but the ball fell right to Lynn who was in prime position to score the winner.

The Lions will return home to INTER&Co Stadium next to host the Columbus Crew this Saturday, May 25, at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Match Notes:

  • The victory marked a first-ever win by a road team in the all-time series against San Jose, with Orlando 0-1-2 heading into Saturday’s match.
  • The win marked Oscar Pareja’s 70th across all competitions as Orlando City’s head coach and his 60th with Orlando in the MLS regular season.
  • Jack Lynn’s 89th-minute goal marked his second of the season and the second of his MLS career.
  • The clean sheet was the fourth of the season for the Lions and second in as many matches.
  • Head Coach Oscar Pareja made two changes to his starting lineup from his side’s last match against Inter Miami CF, with Felipe and Dagur Dan Thórhallsson returning to the Starting XI.
Previous Article

IFL: Sioux Falls Storm Top Jacksonville in the Shark Tank

Next Article

Jumbo Shrimp’s Muñoz, Conine Push Jacksonville Past Nashville

You might be interested in …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *