SD Loyal SC defeat Tacoma Defiance 1-0
Credit: SD Loyal
The San Diego Loyal avoid the season sweep against Tacoma, earn crucial three points.
San Diego improves to (11-9-4) with 37 points on the season. They remain in second place in the Pacific Division but, more importantly, don’t allow Tacoma to earn any points. With two less games played than the Loyal, the Defiance (8-8-6) remain in fourth place with 30 points.
After the Loyal had been knocking on the door all match, Josh Yaro finally snuck one past Tacoma’s keeper off the header for the first goal of the day. Captain Charlie Adams assisted on the corner kick.
.@The_Charlie10 serving dimes from the corner to @JoshYaro for his first SD Loyal score.
All defenders rejoice! 🙌 #SDvTAC | 1-0 pic.twitter.com/UChjSkzRKc
— San Diego Loyal (@SanDiegoLoyal) September 19, 2021
It’s not often you see two defenders set up a score with that much ease. That goal was Yaro’s first of the season.
That score would be the only one of the match, as the defenders played tremendous on both sides. Loyal goalkeeper Austin Guerrero earned another clean sheet with his second of the season.
Tacoma threatened late in the match, as they are a tough team to keep scoreless. San Diego would hold on, with that being one of the most well-rounded wins of the season. Even though the Loyal only scored once, they stopped a great team from leveling the match and controlled possession once again.
San Diego also played very disciplined, not forcing a yellow card at all. They played fast, clean, and played their style of soccer for the full 90 minutes.
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The Loyal will have to quickly move on as they travel to Oakland on a short week on Wednesday, September 22. These two teams just met last weekend, where they finished in a 0-0 draw. Oakland is one of the hottest teams in the USL, so this will be a challenge for SD to hold on to second place.
There are just eight matches remaining in the season. With the win today, their playoff chances remain very likely. There is still plenty of time for things to happen, so the Loyal will need to continue to play their best as the season winds down.
Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris is also an athlete and is huge fan of San Diego sports. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and contributes regularly about the Padres.