Celio Pompeu scored in the third minute of second-half stoppage to left visiting St. Louis City to a 2-2 draw with Austin FC on Saturday in a Western Conference game.
Pompeu’s right-footed shot from an extreme angle off a pass from Tomas Totland allowed St. Louis (1-0-2, 5 points) to split the points after peppering Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver with eight shots on goal. Stuver was up to the task until the end, and the Verde was forced to settle for a draw that kept them winless through three games.
Austin (0-1-2, 2 points) carried the lead until added time after Julio Cascante made the most of a cross-box assist from Alex Ring in the 51st minute give it a 2-1 lead. The Verde are still without a win in three games against St. Louis but earned their first point against the second-year club.
The Verde scored first when Matt Hedges leapt to head home a corner kick from Zan Kolmanic in the 14th minute. Hedges beat St. Louis keeper Roman Burki into the center of the goal.
St. Louis’ Samuel Adeniran clanged a shot off the crossbar in the 21st minute before Stuver stopped Indiana Vassilev’s shot in the 23rd minute to allow Austin to hold onto the lead.
Eduard Lowen then missed the target on an excellent chance in the 36th minute and came back to force the Austin keeper into a save three minutes later as St. Louis pressed for the equalizer.
St. Louis tied the game in the 49th minute as Lowen scored from the spot after teammate Axiel Jackson drew a penalty in the area from Austin’s Alex Ring. Lowen went low to the left side of the net for the goal after Stuver guessed wrong and dove in the other direction.
The Verde went back in front two minutes hence as Ring pushed pass across the goal mouth that Cascante headed just hard enough to bounce the ball off Burki at the line and into the net.
Again St. Louis was aggressive in search of a tying goal, with Pompeu producing a pair of shots on goal in the 58th and then the 60th minute that Stuver turned away.
Stuver made one last save, with Nokkvi Thorisson testing the Austin keeper in the 91st minute, but Austin conceded at the end.
–Field Level Media
