Phoenix Rising started the match on the front foot and didn’t let up, blitzing San Antonio FC for 3 goals in the first half on their way to a 4-0 win Wednesday night.

After a back and forth first 15 minutes, the Rising got on the board in the 17th when Kevon Lambert found Chris Cortez six yards out and Cortez calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net. Phoenix struck again just nine minutes later thanks to some defensive hustle from team captain Solomon Asante. With the San Antonio goalkeeper controlling the ball outside his box, Asante stepped into his passing lane, controlled and rolled his 12th goal of the season into the back of the net. The team lost the captain a few minutes later (hamstring), but the Rising kept churning. Devin Vega, the San Antonio native, tallied his first Phoenix Rising goal in the 45th minute (Jason Johnson assisted). Vega received the ball in the box, turned and hit a half-volley from 13 yards out in his first appearance against his former team. The goal gave Rising a comfortable 3-0 lead going into halftime.

San Antonio applied some pressure at the beginning of the second half, forcing Zac Lubin into a point-blank save but Phoenix did well to weather the pressure. Dicey moments did come in the 59th minute when Doueugui Mala picked up his 2nd yellow card of the night, forcing the Rising down to 10 men for the rest of the night. Even with this disadvantage, Phoenix looked like the better team, with the additions of Tristan Blackmon and Saad Abdul-Salaam solidifying the backline. In the 64th minute. Billy Forbes and Jason Johnson exchanged passes, leaving Forbes with just enough space to curl a shot to the near post. Forbes, the 2017 San Antonio scoring leader, struck the ball strong enough to go in despite the San Antonio goalkeeper getting a hand to it. Another Lubin save and a Cortez shot were the remaining highlights of the night as Phoenix cruised to victory.

Phoenix still holds 3rd place in the Western Conference after Orange County Sc took all three points in their matchup vs. Timbers II. Phoenix is still three points behind Orange County and still have the one game in hand.

Scoring Summary

18’- Chris Cortez, PHX (Assist Kevon Lambert)

27’- Solomon Asante, PHX

45’- Devin Vega, PHX (Assist Jason Johnson)

64’- Billy Forbes, PHX (Assist Jason Johnson)

Starting Lineup XI

Phoenix Rising FC: Lubin, Dia, Mala, Blackmon, Abdul-Salaam (Farrell 54), Musa, Lambert, Vega, Forbes (Brewer Jr. 74), Cortez, Asante (Johnson 34)

San Antonio FC: Restrepo, King, Hendrick, McCarthy (Presley 77), Rodríguez (Murphy 60), Ward, Escalante, Guadarrama, Gordon, Guzman

Next up: Saturday vs. Colorado Spring Switchbacks FC. The match starts at 7:30 in Scottsdale at Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex