Lights win another comeback, stun San Antonio on road

Lanphier keeps it close

San Antonio struck almost immediately. Emil Cuello scored in the sixth minute, putting the Lights in another early hole and giving Toyota Field the kind of start Las Vegas wanted to avoid.

But Charlie Lanphier kept the match from getting away.

The Lights goalkeeper finished with four saves on five shots on goal, and the first half required every bit of that work. San Antonio had the early edge, but Las Vegas stayed within reach long enough to make the second half matter.

That was the difference between another frustrating road night and a win that can travel.

Rodriguez answers fast

Las Vegas did not wait long after halftime. Johnny Rodriguez tied the match in the 47th minute, finishing off an Oalex Anderson assist to make it 1-1.

It was Rodriguez’s 10th goal of the season, and it came at the perfect time. Instead of letting San Antonio settle into the second half with a lead, the Lights flipped the pressure right back on the home side.

Rodriguez, in remarks released by the team, said the response mattered because the group stayed connected after the early setback.

“We got scored on pretty early again, but we stuck together,” Rodriguez said. “We trusted the game plan.”

That trust showed up in the numbers. San Antonio had 52% possession, but the match stayed tight everywhere else. The Lights had four shots on goal to San Antonio’s five, 21 clearances to San Antonio’s 22 and enough bite to stay in the game until the late chance arrived.

Okyere delivers the winner

Abraham Okyere entered in the 71st minute. Eight minutes later, he changed the match.

Okyere scored in the 79th minute after a scramble in the box, forcing the ball over the line and giving Las Vegas a 2-1 lead. He finished with two shots on goal in limited minutes, the exact kind of bench impact the Lights needed.

The goal also continued a recent theme. Okyere started the comeback at Monterey Bay with a 71st-minute goal. One week later, he came off the bench in San Antonio and scored the winner.

San Antonio pushed late, but the match turned even further when Santiago Patino was shown a red card in stoppage time. The Lights closed it from there.

A road win with weight

This was not just another away result. It was a statement because of where it happened and how it happened.

San Antonio had not lost at home this season, and the Lights had already spent too much of the year watching close matches slip away. Now they have back-to-back comeback wins, and this one came in league play against one of the West’s toughest home teams.

Coach Devin Rensing, through the team, called it a gutsy performance and credited the group’s defensive work.

“Anytime you get 3 points it’s great,” Rensing said. “Great performance from the team, gutsy performance.”

Rensing also praised Rodriguez, who continues to give Las Vegas the reliable finishing edge every team in the West needs.

“He scores goals, but he also does things defensively,” Rensing said. “He does everything. He scores goals. He’s a great leader.”

Momentum is finally real

Before the match, Nykolas Sessock said through the team that the Lights needed momentum heading into the second half of the season.

Now they have it.

The Lights are no longer just talking about cleaning up mistakes. They are surviving them, answering them and turning tight matches into wins.

That is a major shift for a team still trying to climb the Western Conference table. It does not erase the slow starts, and it does not solve everything. However, it gives Las Vegas something it badly needed.

Proof.

Up next

The Lights continue their road swing Saturday, July 25, at Detroit City FC. Kickoff is 4 p.m., and the match will air on ESPN2.

Las Vegas returns to Cashman Field on Saturday, August 1, to face Phoenix Rising FC on Aces Night.

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