Aztex Blanked at Colorado Springs

photo courtesy Austin Aztex
photo courtesy Austin Aztex

On Wednesday night the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (14-9-3) shut down the Austin Aztex (9-4-13) attack and earned a 3-0 victory, mathematically eliminating Austin from USL’s Western Conference playoffs. The Aztex road form is mostly to blame for their standing out side of playoff contention. Having only earned 9 points as a visiting team on the season, the club has struggled to find themselves outside of Texas.

The match got off to a terrible start for the visitors when a PK was called just seconds in. Switchbacks team captain Luke Vercollone stepped to the spot and the Aztex were down 1-0 by the 2nd minute.

The Switchbacks found the net two more times and now control their own destiny for their playoff position. After a rough start this season, Coach Steve Trittschuh has to be a top candidate for Coach of the Year. With little time to prepare his expansion team for the season, the former USMNT player has his team sitting at the top of the Western Conference table as the regular season draws to a close.

After registering an impressive home win last Saturday, the Aztex were in a must-win situation for all three of their remaining contests. Wednesday was the first of these matches, yet the Aztex registered a dismal zero shots on goal for the night.

The Aztex’s hot start to the season has more than cooled over the last few months. Paul Dalglish’s side has battled all season, but has struggled to score. With only 2 games remaining the club is left playing only for pride and the crest on their shirt.

Next up: The Aztex take on Sounders 2 in Seattle on Thursday, September 17th.