Remember when San Antonio FC struggled to capitalize on its scoring chances?

Recall when the local United Soccer League club’s defense had issues conceding goals, especially in late-game situations?

What a difference a couple of weeks makes.

SAFC took control early and went on to defeat LA Galaxy II 2-0 on Saturday at Toyota Field. It was SAFC’s second straight win after starting the season at 0-3-1.

“We’re extremely proud of the way the players conducted themselves from start to finish tonight,” SAFC coach Darren Powell said. “The conditions were very windy and made it difficult to do exactly what we wanted, but the players stuck to the task and worked extremely hard for 90 minutes.”

Bradford Jamieson IV and Ever Guzman each scored first-half goals as the Alamo City squad improved to 3-1-3 all-time vs Los Angeles Galaxy.

The early offensive output was all SAFC (2-3-1) needed as the defense recorded its first shutout of the season. LA Galaxy II (4-2), which had a two-match winning streak snapped, had scored 11 goals in five games.

“It’s all about fighting, and everyone fought for the guy next to them tonight,” SAFC defender Kai Greene said. “It took effort and we dug deep. We knew we had to secure the win but we also wanted to secure the clean sheet, and that’s exactly what we did. We have great momentum right now heading into our next match and everything is good right now.”

More importantly, the winning streak has allowed SAFC to surge from the bottom of the Western Conference standings and into 11th place, one point out of eighth and a win out of a tie for third place.

In a pivotal first half, Jamieson IV netted the game-winner against his former team in the 14th minute, gathering the rebound of his own shot that was deflected by a LA Galaxy defender and put a shot into an empty net.

Twenty-one minutes later, Guzman ran onto a pass from teammate Brian Gomez and added what amounted to an insurance goal in the 35th minute.

Injury update: Midfielder Leeroy Maguraushe ruptured his left Achilles’ tendon during the team’s April 6 match against the Las Vegas Lights. The team said Maguraushe is scheduled to undergo surgery soon and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

tthomas@express-news.net

Twitter: @en_terrence