Monterey Bay FC plays in Seaside, Calif., but they encountered shark-infested waters at Weidner Field on Saturday. 

The Colorado Springs Switchbacks swarmed the visitors and controlled play from the opening kickoff until the final whistle to claim a 4-1 win over Monterey Bay, capping off a dominant week for the club, which defeated an MLS opponent for the first time on Tuesday. 

With the win, the Switchbacks snapped a three-game winless streak in USL Championship play. 

Colorado Springs forward and leading scorer Khori Bennett netted two goals on Saturday, placing him firmly in the USL Championship’s Golden Boot race. The Jamaican forward has six goals in league play, which paces the USL as of Saturday afternoon.  

His first goal on Saturday gave the Switchbacks a 2-0 lead. 

Entering the week, Switchbacks coach Alan McCann said that his players needed to create more chances in open play for their striker. 

The Switchbacks responded this week. Bennett scored in the team’s Open Cup match on Tuesday and added another goal on Saturday. Forward Sadam Masereka sent in a cross, and Bennett tapped the ball mid-air, redirecting it for the score in the first minute of first half stoppage time. 

Masereka earned a second assist on Saturday. In the 70th minute, he sent a pass to forward Juan Tejada for the club’s third goal. 

Moments later, Masereka drew a foul from Monterey Bay keeper Ciaran Dalton in the box. Colorado Springs was awarded a penalty, and Bennett scored his second goal of the match, converting his fourth penalty kick of the season. 

“I’m feeling really good about that PK,” Bennett said after the match. “Hats off to Sadam as well, really good run on the PK. I think my cross was from him as well so hats off to him. I have to give him his credit.”

Colorado Springs forward Adrien Perez opened the scoring for Colorado Springs in the 18th minute. His strike from more than 25 yards out, curved mid-air and snuck into the top-right corner of the goal. 

One of the few bright spots for the visitors came in the 57th minute from forward Ilijah Paul, who scored the lone goal for Monterey Bay. 

The Switchbacks outshot the visitors 18 to four on Saturday, including nine shots on target, and earned five corner kicks to Monterey’s one. 

Saturday’s result finishes what has likely been the Switchbacks’ best week of the young season. Colorado Springs defeated both MLS side Sporting Kansas City and Monterey Bay by a combined margin of 7-1.  

“The win always helps,” Colorado Springs coach Alan McCann said. “That helps everything and the fact that you’re knocking off an MLS side, you can actually be quite guilty of getting complacent and thinking that, ‘Oh well, we don’t have to be as high as we were in terms of intensity. We don’t have to be as aggressive.’ … But that was the key, making sure that we did not have that approach.”

The Switchbacks will finish the month on the road. Their first stop will be at Phoenix Rising FC for the club’s first match in the Prinx Tires USL Cup.