Early Two-Goal Lead Not Enough: MLES Falls 5-2 to AV Alta

MLES Academy suffered a 5-2 defeat against USL League One club AV Alta on Tuesday (September 8). At Lancaster Municipal Stadium, the MLES side took an early 2-0 lead through goals from Adan Villarreal and Rudy Reyes but was unable to carry that advantage into halftime. After the break, captain Angel Loza was shown a second yellow card and sent off.

Villarreal and Reyes Give MLES an Early Lead

MLES made a strong start against the USL League One professionals. The visitors approached the match with courage and were rewarded with the opening goal in the 17th minute. Adan Villarreal put the MLES side 1-0 in front.

Just four minutes later, MLES added a second. Rudy Reyes found the net in the 21st minute to make it 2-0. The Academy side was clinical during the opening stages and repeatedly caused problems for the hosts.

AV Alta Turns the Match Around Before Halftime

Following the second goal, AV Alta gradually found its way into the contest. The hosts pulled one back in the 30th minute before scoring the equalizer just three minutes later to make it 2-2.

MLES was then unable to regain control of the match before halftime. Shortly before the end of the opening period, AV Alta completed the turnaround and scored in the 44th minute to take a 3-2 lead. Despite its early two-goal advantage, the MLES side went into the locker room trailing.

Loza Shown a Second Yellow Card

MLES entered the second half looking to find an equalizer but suffered another setback in the 56th minute. Captain Angel Loza was shown a second yellow card, leaving his team to play the remainder of the match with ten players.

AV Alta also extended its lead to 4-2 in the 56th minute. Despite the difficult situation, the MLES side refused to give up and continued trying to create opportunities going forward. However, it was the hosts who scored the final goal, finding the net in the 77th minute to seal a 5-2 victory.

Marcel Lowitsch: “We Showed That We Can Compete at This Level”

Following the final whistle, MLES Academy Director and Head Coach Marcel Lowitsch reflected on his team’s performance:

“We started the game well, took the lead as planned, and doubled it shortly afterwards to make it 2-0. We even have the chance of scoring the 3-0.

However, too many individual errors allowed our opponents back into the match, and instead of taking our lead into halftime, we gave it away.

The red card in the second half took us out of the game.

We definitely showed that we can compete at this professional level, but unfortunately we were not able to turn that performance into the result it deserved today.”

MLES Competes on Equal Terms with Professional Opposition

The final score did not entirely reflect how evenly matched the two teams were statistically. Both sides recorded 14 shots and five corners. AV Alta registered 12 shots on target, while MLES recorded 11. The hosts held a slight advantage in possession with 56 percent compared to MLES’ 44 percent.

Particularly during its strong opening spell, MLES showed that it could compete with a professional USL League One club. At the same time, the match demonstrated how ruthlessly mistakes are punished at this level. Ultimately, MLES left Lancaster Municipal Stadium with a surrendered 2-0 lead and a 5-2 defeat.

Goals: 0-1 Villarreal (17’), 0-2 Reyes (21’), 1-2 AV Alta (30’), 2-2 AV Alta (33’), 3-2 AV Alta (44’), 4-2 AV Alta (56’), 5-2 AV Alta (77’)

Disciplinary: Angel Loza sent off after receiving a second yellow card (56’)