OKLAHOMA CITY – Cristian Parano continues to deliver.
The young midfielder tallied his third goal of the season in the 31st minute of play, as San Antonio knocked off OKC Energy FC 3-0 on Saturday night. With the win, SAFC remains undefeated, improves to 4-0-1 and remains atop the Group D standings with 13 points.
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The Alamo City club opened the scoring with another Parano blast. A week removed from his game-winning golazo against Austin Bold FC, Parano tallied the first goal of the night off a rebound in front of the net to give San Antonio a 1-0 lead heading into halftime. This is the fourth straight match Parano has factored into the scoresheet, counting his assist against Rio Grande Valley FC on July 25, and it’s his 10th career goal with SAFC.
“I feel very happy,” Parano said. “I’m grateful to my coaches and teammates because they’re always supporting me. I’m thankful to God for everything that I’m experiencing and now we’re focused on the upcoming match.”
Third goal of the season and counting for Cristian.
— San Antonio FC (@SanAntonioFC) August 9, 2020
Vamos Tucu! 👏 #Defend210 pic.twitter.com/kEMGcCTTT2
Parano struck again in the second half, this time with an assist. In the 70th minute of play, Callum Montgomery flashed in front of goal and redirected Parano’s free kick into the back of the net with a header to double San Antonio’s lead. It’s Montgomery’s second goal of the season, his first since he tallied the game-winner against Real Monarchs SLC in March. Ignacio Bailone added another goal in the 77th minute, his first with San Antonio, to provide the final margin. Luis Solignac assisted on the score.
San Antonio outshot OKC 18-11. Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair saved all 11 of the shots he faced. Central Catholic alumnus Jose Gallegos subbed in for Parano in the 82nd minute.
“I think it was a very gritty performance,” head coach Alen Marcina explained. “I’m proud of the guys, their commitment, their ability to execute on the tasks asked of them and the total vibe overall. It’s a family here, and we preach that from day one. It keeps growing and getting stronger.”
“On to the next one,” St. Clair said. “We can celebrate tonight and start focusing on FC Tulsa tomorrow. This is a business trip, and we take it one game at a time. We completed our objective tonight and now it’s on to Tulsa.”
SAFC will wrap up their three-game road trip against FC Tulsa this Wednesday, Aug. 12, marking the club’s shortest turnaround between matches this season. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.