Aztex fans may have felt that last Thursday’s late draw felt like a loss, but after Saturday night in St. Louis, now we’re remembering what an actual loss feels like.

It feels pretty crummy, if you’re wondering. And it’s causing no small amount of worry: did the Aztex peak too early in the season, instead of now, when they need to? Were the months in first place built more on results against low-end teams than we realized? As the vision of a first place finish fades, the specter of facing Puerto Rico — one of Austin’s toughest foes this season — in the playoffs looms large.

Here’s a rundown of other post-match coverage:

  • box score — USSF

  • Aztex Drop Road Game to AC St. Louis, 2-1 — AustinAztex.com

    The Aztex (14-5-8) offense stalled all night long with just four first-half shots against an opponent that they managed to fire off 27 shots on goal in their last meeting.

    Austin started the game with five reserves in the starting 11 and never quite gelled through the contest. The first half ended scoreless with just one corner kick for both teams combined and Sean Kelley’s first save of the season. Saturday’s match was also the first time this season that Aztex goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo was not on the pitch.

  • Saturday Night Fever: D2 Expansion Teams AC St. Louis and NSC Minnesota Rock ‘N Roll — NASL Fanatic

    Mindful of the young Saints’ penchant for surrendering late goals, the minutes clicked away much too slowly .As the game moved into stoppage time, history repeated itself and Eddie Johnson lasered a shot past Dufty to tie the score. All the good work done by Dufty and the backline of Jack Traynor and rookies Mark Bloom and Zach Bauer seemed to go to waste as with very little stoppage time remaining, the game looked to end as a draw.

    But, for AC St. Louis, history was made anew. With time running out, veteran Luke Kreamalmeyer found Luis Gil and the teenaged Californian beat Kelley to win the game. Gil’s first professional goal coincided with the Saints’ first come from behind victory, and the crowd erupted as disappointment turned to joy instantly.

The Aztex don’t have to wait long for their shot at revenge. They host AC St. Louis at House Park this Saturday, in the last home game of the regular season. That first-place spot is still in reach: Austin trails Rochester by a single point, and still has a game in hand over them. Here’s hoping that our boys can regain the momentum we saw earlier in the summer.