The visitors took the lead in the 34th minute on a play that STLFC argued was offside. On a long ball over the top from Appiah, Diego Rubio got a step or two on the STLFC defense. Pais, who seemed to hesitate before leaving his penalty area, got to the ball first, but his clearing attempt deflected off Rubio, who continued into the box for the tap-in goal.

“My depth perception on the play wasn’t good,” Pais said. “Then, when I got to the ball, it was at my waist so all I could do was try to knee it past him. ... It was a fluke play, one of those things we need to talk about and figure out if there’s something we could’ve done differently.”

Just before halftime, Pasher tested Pais with a chip shot from a tight angle. Pais tipped the ball off the far post and then scrambled to grab the loose ball.

With Swope Park focusing on protecting its lead, STLFC narrowly missed pulling even off a corner-kick scramble in the 61st minute. The ball, played into the box from James Musa, fell to Bond and he made a quick turn and ripped a shot off the crossbar.