Both Colorado Springs and San Antonio gave as good as they got on Saturday. 

The Switchbacks and San Antonio FC took turns dominating possession and pressuring each other, but neither could land a knockout blow. The proof came in second-half stoppage time as San Antonio scored a go-ahead goal in the seventh minute, only for Colorado Springs to level the match off a corner kick in the 10th. The contest resulted in a 3-3 draw in Texas. 

With the game knotted at 2-2 after 90 minutes and a hefty 11 minutes added for stoppage time, San Antonio pushed for victory. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, former Colorado Springs defender Akeen O’Connor-Ward put a shot on goal. But it was deflected out by Switchbacks keeper Christian Herrera. A minute later, O’Connor-Ward sent another shot towards goal from inside the box, but Herrera punched it out. The ball rolled to defender Alex Crognale who blasted it in. 

In previous seasons, that might have given the hosts a win. But for the second time in as many matches, Colorado Springs scored a late equalizer. On Wednesday, the Switchbacks scored in the 119th minute in the club’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match against Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids, and on Saturday, the team met the moment again. 

Midfielder Brennan Creek’s strike off a corner kick resulted in a San Antonio own goal in the 10th minute of stoppage time. 

The Switchbacks began Saturday’s match in familiar fashion, with their foot on the gas. Colorado Springs pressured San Antonio’s back line early, putting shots on goal, drawing fouls, and earning free kicks. 

San Antonio buckled under the pressure in the 25th minute as Colorado Springs forward Yosuke Hanya intercepted a poor pass from SAFC keeper Joey Batrouni and tapped the ball in for an easy score. The goal marked Hanya’s first of the season in USL Championship regular season play and the first San Antonio has given up at home in league play since the club’s opener on March 7.

San Antonio found its footing after Hanya’s score. Leading scorer Jorge Hernandez leveled the match with his fourth goal of the season. SAFC caught Colorado Springs in transition and forward Cristian Parano pushed the ball upfield to Hernandez, whose shot found twine in the 34th minute. 

Colorado Springs regained the lead shortly after intermission thanks to another bad pass from SAFC. In the 46th minute, Switchbacks forward Sadam Masereka took advantage of the miscue and sent in a shot from the top of the 18-yard box with enough mustard on it to power through Batrouni’s fingers and into the goal. The goal was Masereka’s first in league play this season. 

But much like Colorado Springs dominated the opening portion of the contest, San Antonio had the better of the chances in the second half. Hernandez was a menace and threatened on several occasions. Herrera denied him a second goal in the 62nd and 82nd minutes, but the third time was the charm for Hernandez. He broke through in the 83rd minute, scoring his second goal with a rocket from beyond the penalty arc. 

Following a pair of hard-fought matches this week, the Switchbacks return to action in six days, hosting Orange County SC on May 8.