Monterey Bay F.C. Falls to Western Conference Foe Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Weidner Field

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Tuesday, July 4, 2023) – Monterey Bay F.C. (7-6-5, 26 points) wrapped its second match in three days with a 4-0 defeat to fellow Western Conference foe Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (9-9-1, 28 points) at Weidner Field.

The fireworks began right out of the gates for Colorado Springs. Jonas Fjeldberg made a run deep down the right sideline in just the 2nd minute of the match before rounding his defender and whipping a cross into the box toward Juan Tejada who was making a run at the near post. With his first touch, Tejada fired the right-footed volley past the goalkeeper’s left to put the hosts on top 1-0 in the blink of an eye. Monterey Bay continued to absorb pressure from Switchbacks FC for the next several minutes before managing to grab a true footing in the match. In the 37th minute, the Union created a turnover in the hosts side of the pitch that led to a couple of crosses into the box, but Colorado Springs managed to thwart both looks.

Colorado Springs did it again just 15 seconds into the second half. Pushing down the right sideline, a cross into the box by Deshane Beckford was pushed away by Carlos Herrera, but it deflected off Kai Greene and landed perfectly at the feet of Steven Echeverria for the tap into the open net and the 2-0 lead. A chance came for the Union in the 56th minute when Chuy Enríquez and Ugo Okoli each headed the ball up inside the box, but the final header on frame by Nevello Yoseke was caught easily by the goalkeeper. With just over 15 minutes to play, Colorado Springs was awarded a penalty for a dive in the box and Romario Williams converted to bring the scoreline to 3-0. In the 82nd minute, Grant Robinson let go from beyond the box to force the goalkeeper into a diving effort, but his shot missed just wide of the left corner. Two minutes later, Switchbacks FC extended the lead from long distance and the match ended 4-0 in favor of the hosts.

Up Next: Monterey Bay F.C. returns home this Saturday, July 8 for a fixture against El Paso Locomotive FC on Military Appreciation Night at Cardinale Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT. The match will be broadcast locally on KION (46 & 23 over the air, 46 Dish, 27 DirecTV and 5/705 HD Xfinity), with live streaming available on Paramount+, Hulu, YouTubeTV, FuboTV, and ESPN+.

Notes:
– Juan Tejada’s goal for Colorado Springs in the 2nd minute became the fastest goal allowed (1:31) in Monterey Bay’s short history. The previous record was held by Manuel Quezada who scored for Phoenix Rising FC just 1 minute and 32 seconds into the Union’s inaugural regular season opener a year ago.
– Mobi Fehr (groin) missed the match due to an injury suffered in the club’s match over the weekend.

Match: Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs Monterey Bay F.C.
Date: July 4, 2023
Venue: Weidner Field; Colorado Springs, Colorado
Weather: Foggy and 66 degrees
Attendance: 8,023

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F 
Switchbacks FC   1 3 4
Monterey Bay F.C.  0 0 0
COS: Juan Tejada (Jonas Fjeldberg) 2’
COS: Steven Echeverria 46’
COS: Romario Williams (Penalty) 73’
COS: Steven Echeverria 83’

Lineups:
Switchbacks FC (4-1-4-1): Christian Herrera; James Musa, Matthew Mahoney, Oskar Aegren; Jay Chapman (Tyreek Magee 61’), Patrick Seagrist, Devon Williams, Steven Echeverria; Juan Tejada (Maalique Foster, 61’), Romario Williams (Aaron Wheeler, 87’), Jonas Fjeldberg (Deshane Beckford, 44’)
Subs not used: Joe Kuzminsky, Dennis Erdmann, Marco Rios

Monterey Bay F.C. (4-2-3-1): Carlos Herrera; Grant Robinson, Hugh Roberts, Kai Greene (Alex Lara, 76’), Morey Doner; James Murphy (Adrian Rebollar, 62’), Nevello Yoseke; Chase Boone, Simon Dawkins, Chuy Enríquez (Sam Gleadle, 62’); Ugo Okoli (Christian Volesky, 62’)
Subs not used: Antony Siaha, Walmer Martínez, Alex Dixon

Stats Summary: COS / MB
Shots: 12 / 6
Shots on Goal: 5 / 1
Saves: 1 / 1
Corner Kicks: 2 / 4
Fouls: 11 / 7
Possession: 50.6% / 49.4%

Misconduct Summary:
None

Officials:
Referee: Matt Thompson
Assistant Referee: Rhett Hammil
Assistant Referee: Ethan Buege
Fourth Official: Patricia McCracken