Jamal Thiare scored his first goal of the season in extra time, helping visiting Atlanta United pull even for a 1-1 draw against Austin FC on Wednesday.
Atlanta (2-6-5, 11 points) failed to record a win for the seventh straight game, but has now picked up a point in two of its last three games. Atlanta was outshot by Austin 16-8, but Thiare salvaged another lackluster offensive performance for the club in its first ever match at Austin FC.
Austin (5-6-2, 17 points) took a lead on Brandon Vasquez’s penalty kick goal in the 55th minute. Vasquez has four goals on the season — while no other Austin player has tallied more than one. The club saw its winless stretch extended to four consecutive games, but did snap a three-game losing streak with the draw.
On the team’s 12th shot attempt, Austin finally broke through in the 55th minute, as Atlanta’s Noah Cobb committed a foul that led to Vazquez’s free kick to the top right corner of the goal, giving Austin a 1-0 lead.
Following several futile attempts, Atlanta got the equalizer it needed in the second minute of extra time, as Saba Lobjanidze found Thiare on a cross for a great look and the game-tying score in front of a stunned crowd.
The final chance for Austin came minutes later as Guilherme Biro’s cross to CJ Fodrey was an opportunity for the game-winner, but the attempt sailed to the right of the goal.
In a scoreless first half, Austin outshot Atlanta 10-6 — with both sides finishing with three on goal. Atlanta had as many shots on goal (two) in the first 13 minutes as the club had for the entirety of its 2-1 loss to Chicago on Saturday.
–Field Level Media
