Diego Abarca scored in second half stoppage time to secure a 2-1 win over Ventura County FC on Friday night at Parmer Field, earning three important points for Austin FC II in the team's push for a playoff spot.
Micah Burton put the Verde & Black on the board in the 35th minute. A beautiful long ball from Rubén Bonachera connected with Burton, who tucked in a shot from the center of the box for his fourth goal of the year. Marcus Alstrup started in goal and made some key saves to allow ATXFC II to keep the lead going into halftime.
Ventura County FC’s Dylan Vanney equalized for the visitors five minutes into the second half. Alstrup made more important stops to help keep Ventura at bay until another opportunity arose for the Verde & Black. Abarca entered the match in the 77th minute as a substitue and proved to be the difference maker, putting away a rebound to give ATXFC II a dramatic late win.
The victory moves Austin up to fifth place in the MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference and creates a six-point gap to the playoff cutline.
Goal Scoring Summary
ATX (1-0) – Micah Burton (assisted by Rubén Bonachera) 35’
VCFC (1-1) – Dylan Vanney (assisted by Gino Vivi, Jeorgio Kocevski) 50’
ATX (2-1) – Diego Abarca (unassisted) 90+1'
Match Information
Venue: Parmer Field (Austin, TX)
Weather: Cloudy, 87 degrees
Next Match
Austin FC II heads out west for its 11th home match and 23rd overall match of the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro regular season against LAFC 2 on Friday, August 29 at 9:00 p.m. CT. The match will be available to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
