Xoloitzcuintles wins Group 3, finish as No. 1 seed in overall standings, clinch spot in quarterfinals
TIJUANA– (March 3, 2015) Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles clinched a spot in the Copa MX quarterfinals with a 2-0 win against visiting Leones Negros Tuesday night at Estadio Caliente.
Henry Martin and Amando Moreno scored for the Xoloitzcuintles in the second leg of the final Group 3 series. The win gives Club Tijuana three points in the standings plus an extra point for winning the series for 17 total points and a 4-0-2 record. Coach Daniel Guzman’s team also finishes the group stage as the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The unbeaten Xoloitzcuintles will have home-field advantage in the knockout stage.
Martin scored his fourth goal of the tournament in the 13th minute and became the second highest scorer in the current competition. He slid into a loose ball in the box after the Leones Negros goalkeeper Edmundo Vazquez had blocked a shot from Amando Moreno for the 1-0 lead. Moreno had beaten the offside trap and was left all alone in front of goal.
Moreno scored in the 59th minute when he also slid to a ball and tapped it in for the 2-0 lead. Martin fed Moreno with a quick low cross to find Moreno’s run and slide at the goal line.
Moreno, a United States National Team member, created dangerous plays throughout the match, forcing Leones Negros defenders to play a physical match. Moreno appealed for a penalty kick in the 24th minute after going down in the box. He had brought down a long and high pass and shielded the ball from his defender. As Moreno tried to turn to find the space to shoot he went down. The center referee did not consider the contact to be enough to award the penalty kick.
Next for Club Tijuana is a visit to Torreon where on Saturday it will take on Club Santos Laguna in Week 9 action of the LIGA MX. The Xoloitzcuintles will play the No. 8 seed in the Copa MX quarterfinals.
Xolos vs. Leones Negros at Estadio Caliente
FINAL SCORE: XOLOS 2, LEONES NEGROS 0
ROSTERS:
Club Tijuana: 5. Elio Castro, 8. Jose Ayovi (69th Edgar Villegas 69th minute), 11. Henry Martin, 20. Paul Arriola (Manuel Herrera 83rd), 21. Oliver Ortiz, 25. Gibran Lajud, 26. Javier Salas, 27. Alejandro Guido, 32. Luis Garcia, 91. Christian Torres, 95. Amando Moreno (Luis Chavez 86th).
Leones Negros:1. Edmundo Vazquez, 2. Christian Lopez, 5. Josue Castillos, 9. Juan Anangono, 11. Jahir Barraza, 15. Christian Diaz, 18. Rodolfo Vilchis, 19. Fidel Vazquez, 85. Jacobo Hernandez, 102. Jorge Padilla, 103. Nahoshi Lugo
Goals scored by:
1-0 – 13th Henry Martin –Tijuana
2-0 – 59th Amando Moreno -Tijuana