EDINBURG, Texas – Memo Rodriguez had both goals as Rio Grande Valley FC took a 4-1 win against the Swope Park Rangers on Saturday night at the UT Rio Grande Valley Soccer Complex. The Toros took an early lead as Rodriguez fired home a low finish into the left corner of the net from the right side of the penalty area in the 13th minute. Rodriguez doubled his side’s lead when he latched onto a pass by T.J. Casner and finished 13 minutes later, but the Rangers pulled a goal back five minutes before the break when Daniel Salloi scored his fourth goal of the season. With both teams looking to get forward quickly in the second half, chances continued to arrive, but the Toros wrapped up with win with a minute to go as Robbie Lovejoy scored from a tight angle off a great pass by Christian Lucatero, who then added a second assist in stoppage time as Emilio Garcia completed the scoring.

Scoring:

13’ – RGV – Memo Rodriguez (Jose Escalante)

26’ – RGV – Memo Rodriguez (T.J. Casner)

40’ – SPR – Daniel Salloi (Kris Tyrpak)

89’ – RGV – Robbie Lovejoy (Christian Lucatero)

90’ – RGV – Emilio Garcia (Christian Lucatero)



Three Things That Matter:

1. Saturday’s game saw two well-thought-of attacking players on either side feature prominently, with the first being the Toros’ Memo Rodriguez. After a goal and assist for Charleston last season on loan from the Houston Dynamo, Rodriguez had a breakout performance on Saturday with two excellent finishes that put the Toros up 2-0 within the first half-hour.

2. A Homegrown signing this offseason for Sporting Kansas City, Daniel Salloi entered his rookie season with some expectations. After scoring his fourth goal of the season on Saturday to pull the Rangers within a goal late in the first half, the 19-year-old is certainly delivering so far. On a night when SPR wasn’t quite able to find a way back into the game, Salloi’s performance will provide a silver lining for the club.

3. His appearance was just a cameo, but Christian Lucatero’s two assists after being brought in with three minutes to go gave an illustration of what he could be capable of with more action later in the season. While it’s clear Coach Wilmer Cabrera has his current pecking order in terms of the starting lineup, it’s clear Lucatero could be a very big weapon off the bench as the Toros take aim at a playoff place in their inaugural season.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Memo Rodriguez, Rio Grande Valley FC – Rodriguez notched his first two goals for the Toros with a pair of clinical finishes in the first half, as RFVFC continued to look offensively potent with their biggest attacking output of the season so far.

Upcoming Games:

May 25: Rio Grande Valley FC at San Antonio FC, 8:30 p.m. ET, Toyota Field | ESPN3

May 28: Swope Park Rangers at Sacramento Republic FC, 10:30 p.m. ET, Bonney Field