Las Vegas Lights FC had the ball, had the corners and had a real chase in the second half. El Paso Locomotive FC still walked off with the points Saturday night, holding on for a 3-2 win at Southwest University Park.
El Paso improved to 3-1-0 and 10 points. Las Vegas dropped to 1-1-3 and 4 points through five matches.
Moreno strikes early, makes it a climb
El Paso turned the match uphill in the seventh minute when Amando Moreno opened the scoring. The Lights steadied after the early hit and started to win territory, which showed up later in the set-piece count.
Las Vegas leveled it in the 23rd minute when Christian Pinzon finished to make it 1-1. For a stretch, the match felt like it was turning toward a possession game, and the Lights looked comfortable playing through midfield.
Rubín restores the lead before halftime
El Paso did not let the equalizer linger. Rubio Rubín scored in the 34th minute, and the Locomotive carried a 2-1 lead into the break despite spending less time on the ball.
Another restart, another problem
The second half opened with the decisive swing. Moreno struck again in the 48th minute, his second of the night, to push El Paso ahead 3-1 and leave Las Vegas chasing two…