Game Recap: Laredo Earns Three Points on the Road in Buda, TX

Second Half Performance Proofs to be the Key to Victory

Thursday, May 29, 2025 (Laredo, TX): The Laredo Heat SC continued its unbeaten start to the USL League 2 season Wednesday using another stellar second half to pull away for a 3-1 victory on the road in a rematch with the Hill Country Lobos.

The Heat (3-0-0, 9 points) sit alone atop the Lone Star Division standings, and a key matchup is ahead Saturday in Laredo as defending champion Corpus Christi FC (2-0-0, 6 points) comes to PEG Energy Stadium with control atop the table on the line. The AHFC Royals (2-0-1, 7 points) and Houston FC (2-0-1, 7 points) are lurking close behind.

For the third straight match to start the season, the Heat held their opponent to a single goal. Marc Bonnaire has stopped all but two shots he’s faced through three matches.

When the Heat and Hill Country (0-0-3, 0 points) met in the opener, Laredo built a 2-1 halftime lead and protected that before scoring twice late for a 4-1 victory.

It was an even tighter battle this time around. Laredo jumped ahead early with midfielder Adam Knutson scoring in the eighth minute. That lead lasted until the 24th minute as the Lobos found the equalizer and kept the game tied 1-1 heading into halftime.

The score remained level most of the second half, but the Heat took charge 35 minutes in with two goals in less than a minute.

In the 79th minute, Volkan Celikkol intercepted a pass and immediately sent a through ball up to Martin Piedeleu. Piedeleu drove deep into the right side of the goal box, drawing in two defenders and the keeper. He centered a pass to Ismael Mane who cut around one defender and scored. It was Mane’s second goal this season, with the first coming in the 87th minute in the first match against Hill Country.

Laredo caught the Lobos sleeping as play resumed to put the match to bed for good. Piedeleu intercepted a pass backwards about 50 yards out. He split two defenders on a tear to the net then shot from 15 yards out into the lower left corner. His goal came just 58 seconds after assisting on Mane’s goal.

The Heat now shift their focus to Saturday’s first place showdown in Laredo against Corpus Christi FC. The game is at 8 p.m. at PEG Energy Stadium located at 5401 Bob Bullock Loop. For tickets and additional information, visit team.laredoheatsc.com.

To stream matches for free this season using SportsEngine Play, visit sportsengineplay.com or download the app.

Visit laredoheatsc.thundertix.com/events242789 to purchase tickets. For more information, visit team.laredoheatsc.com