SEASIDE, Calif. (Interstat) — Monterey Bay scored twice in the final 17 minutes, including Sebastian Lletget’s 88th-minute winner, to beat Las Vegas Lights 2-1 on Saturday at Cardinale Stadium. The home side moved to 1-2 in this competition and across all competitions, while Las Vegas Lights dropped to 0-3 in this competition and overall. Monterey Bay entered after a 1-0 home loss to Colorado Springs and a 3-1 defeat at New Mexico. Las Vegas Lights arrived following a 5-3 home loss to Lexington and a 3-2 loss at Phoenix Rising.

The first half produced few clear chances, with Monterey Bay controlling possession but Las Vegas Lights defending in numbers. The match stayed scoreless through the first half and much of the second before Omari Glasgow broke through in the 74th minute for Monterey Bay, finishing after Ilijah Paul provided the assist. Glasgow played 32 minutes in the match and was later cautioned in stoppage time. Paul played 75 minutes and recorded the assist before his substitution. Monterey Bay had to manage a compact Las Vegas Lights side that kept the game tight into the final quarter-hour, but the home team found the opening goal when the match began to stretch.

Las Vegas Lights answered in the 79th minute when Marc Ybarra scored off a Callum Stretch assist. Ybarra played the full 90 minutes and was booked in the 80th minute. Stretch provided the assist as Las Vegas Lights pushed numbers forward and found the equalizer. The response set up a tense final stretch, with both teams trading possession and challenges as the match moved into its closing minutes.

Monterey Bay reclaimed the lead in the 88th minute when Lletget scored with an assist from Diego Otoya. Lletget played 89 minutes and was substituted in the 89th minute after delivering the decisive goal. Otoya, who played 15 minutes, recorded the assist and was cautioned in stoppage time. The goal capped a late surge for Monterey Bay and restored the home side’s advantage after Las Vegas Lights had leveled the match.

The match grew physical late. Monterey Bay’s Garcia was booked in the 44th minute, Barajas in the 71st and Ritchie in the 78th. Las Vegas Lights’ Ybarra was cautioned in the 80th minute, and Jones was booked in the 90+1st. Monterey Bay’s Otoya and Glasgow were both cautioned in the 90+1st, and Barajas received another yellow card in the 90+3rd. Monterey Bay’s substitutions included Nakamura in the 46th minute, Canete in the 58th, Paul and Ross in the 75th and Lletget in the 89th. Las Vegas Lights made substitutions involving Locker and Pinzon in the 67th minute and Rodriguez in the 72nd.

Monterey Bay held on through stoppage time to secure the result and improve its record in the competition to 1-2. The home side protected its one-goal lead during a long stoppage-time period that included multiple cautions. Las Vegas Lights remained winless in the competition at 0-3. The home side’s late goals overcame a Las Vegas Lights equalizer and a series of cautions that disrupted the closing stages. Monterey Bay’s Lletget and Glasgow supplied the goals, while Paul and Otoya contributed assists. Las Vegas Lights’ Ybarra scored and Stretch assisted, but the visitors could not find a second equalizer. The visitors pressed after Ybarra’s goal but were unable to break through Monterey Bay’s back line in the final minutes.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Monterey Bay 1, Las Vegas Lights 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Monterey Bay with a 64.3 percent probability to win. The actual result followed a different path as Monterey Bay scored late for the victory.