Unbeaten streak continues as Monterey Bay F.C. edges El Paso 1-0.

Adrian Rebollar struck twice on Saturday night at Cardinale Stadium, and both moments were decisive.

The Monterey Bay F.C. midfielder’s 88th minute goal gave the home side a 1-0 win over El Paso Locomotive FC, extending the Union’s unbeaten string to six games. But a first half tackle just outside the six yard box broke up a dangerous attack by the visitors, keeping El Paso off the board.

Initially beaten on the play, Rebollar tracked back hard and made a perfectly timed slide to clear the ball away.

“Sometimes a tackle like that is just as important as a goal,” he explains. “And we saw plenty of those today from all of our defenders. All around the field everyone was giving it their all.”

Until the waning moments of regulation, the match had been a defensive showcase. El Paso dominated possession throughout the first half. The visitors were quick to close down space and Monterey Bay struggled to break down their system.

“It was tough to sit there in the first half and take that, but the good news is that when we went in at half time, it was nil to nil,” observes Union head coach Frank Yallop.

Critical to silencing El Paso—and to the club’s recent run of success—were the back four of Grant Robinson, Hugh Roberts, Kai Greene and Morey Doner. Robinson earned Man of the Match honors for walling off any threat on his side of the pitch.

Goalkeeper Antony Siaha again proved up to the task, recording three saves on the evening. The most important of these came 10 minutes into the second half. El Paso striker Luis Solignac slipped inside the six yard box unimpeded and flicked a sudden side footer toward goal. Almost beaten, Siaha dove and collected the ball.

Momentum had shifted in Monterey Bay’s favor by then, thanks to a missed penalty by Solignac late in the first half. Siaha played a mind game, edging to the El Paso forward’s favored side, daring him to club it another direction. Solignac tried the middle instead and the ball sailed harmlessly over the crossbar.

“That was just god’s work, telling us to wake up and giving us another chance by saying we can’t be playing like this,” Siaha says. “And then we took advantage of it.”

A flurry of activity in the final 10 minutes of regulation had Monterey Bay repeatedly on the verge of scoring. Morey Doner found Greene darting toward the far post, but the pass arrived a fraction late and the header careened off target. In the 84th minute Rebollar eluded several defenders and worked his way into open space, but his shot also skirted wide.

Four minutes later, Doner lined a dangerous cross into the box. El Paso keeper Evan Newton punched it away, but the ball fell to Rebollar, who calmly controlled the ball and directed it past Newton for the game winner.

“I felt like I had to make up for the earlier shot that I had,” he says. “I had one like that versus Orange County and kind of whiffed it the same way, so it was a relief to make up for that missed shot.”

The win moves Monterey Bay to 8-2-11 on the season, 3 points clear of last place Orange County. The club stands on 26 points, equal with 11th place Rio Grande Valley but behind on goal differential.

The Union were last defeated on June 26 when they were edged 2-1 by Sacramento. Since then, Monterey Bay has recorded 4 wins and 2 draws. Siaha and the defense have a run of five consecutive clean sheets, and 499 minutes have elapsed since the club last conceded a goal.

It’s a far cry from the team that took to the pitch in Monterey Bay’s previous encounter with El Paso. Four months ago in Texas, the Locomotive had pummeled Monterey Bay, issuing a 5-0 shellacking.

“We’re a different team since that game,” Yallop notes.

Monterey Bay travels to San Diego for a Wednesday night contest against the second place side in the USL Championship Western Conference. They return home Saturday to face Sacramento, a team that has already beaten them twice.

“We’re playing two very good sides in our conference, so hopefully we can keep the momentum going and get a couple of good results,” Yallop says.

Kickoff on Saturday at Cardinale Stadium is set for 7pm.