“Falling asleep in two moments” cost SD Loyal another loss Saturday — this time to visiting Tacoma Defiance 2-1.
Loyal striker Corey Hertzog scored at Torero Stadium at USD in the 22nd minute, providing the highlight of the USL Championship league match.
He tapped in a bouncing ball from near the goal line after it careened in between Hertzog and a pair of defenders. Oliver Larraz sent a cross from right to left, finding Hertzog.
The goal was Hertzog’s fourth of the season, tying with Jack Blake and Tumi Moshobane for the team lead. He also now has 71 USL Championship career goals, remaining in third place all-time, one behind Jorge Herrera.
It was SD Loyal’s third straight loss at home.
“It’s a frustrating one,” Hertzog said of the match. “The second goal I scored in the second half I’m four yards onside, so, a 2-0 game is different than a 1-0 game. Little stuff like that changes everything. We can’t blame it on that. It’s frustrating, but we can’t let those two goals happen.”
Hertzog nearly had two more goals, but the shots buried into the Tacoma net were annulled.
Tacoma’s Carlos Anguiano provided the game-winner in the 71st minute.
Loyal manager Landon Donovan said: “The performance was very good aside from getting beat and falling asleep in two moments. We’ve played Tacoma three times this year, and if you took their goals out of the game every time, you’d say it’s pretty good but unfortunately goals matter.
“To their credit, they were more alert on a set play than we were and got them back in the game and then again we fell asleep on a counter. Those were the plays that made the difference,” Donovan added.
Donovan’s team had been unbeaten in its first six home matches. SD Loyal (7-8-3, 24 points) has two more home matches this month to try to earn more points at Torero Stadium. Those matches are next week when it hosts Las Vegas Lights Wednesday Aug. 18 and three days later Orange County SC.
“We have to be perfect if we are going to get points,” Donovan said. “I always tell my team you get what you deserve. If we get plays right, we will get points. We’re growing. I know it’s frustrating, but we still have 14 games to go.”