Game Recap: Heads Up Play by the Heat Kevyn Montano at the End of the Game Proves to be the Right One for the Home Team

Game Winner Came as Time Expired

Sunday, July 13, 2025 (Laredo, TX): The Heat’s win in the regular-season finale appeared to evaporate into a draw in the 97th minute when AHFC keeper Logan Erb came to the opposite box for a corner kick and scored the equalizer.

However, Laredo defender Kevyn Montano had other plans. He placed the ball at midfield while the Royals celebrated, and as soon as the last player crossed midfield, he placed a deep shot into the empty net.

In addition to completing the regular season with a perfect 6-0-0 mark at PEG Energy Stadium, the Lone Star Division champion Heat (11-1-0, 33 points) finished second in the 143-team USL League 2 at 2.75 points per match. The Metropolitan Division’s FC Motown STA (11-0-1, 34 points) picked up a 7-1 victory Saturday to keep the top spot at 2.83 points, but the South Central Division’s Asheville City SC (10-0-2, 32 points) had a scoreless draw Saturday to fall behind Laredo at 2.67 points.

The Heat had to rally in the second half Saturday as AHFC (6-4-2, 20 points) jumped ahead off a free kick in the 21st minute. Jack Clarkson, the team’s leading scorer, did the distributing this time as he sent a cross to Javier Chavez on the left side, and he quickly redirected it in for his second goal of the season.

The rally came quickly out of the break as Victor Zuniga leveled the match less than four minutes into the second half. A set play off a corner kick put Henox Roque in position for a deep shot from the left side, and Zuniga redirected it with a header over the keeper and into the top left corner.

Laredo took its first lead of the night in the 77th minute when Sergio Meza gathered a one-touch pass from Zuniga about 25 yards out in the center of the field. Meza moved up a few yards to the right, cut back to the left around a defender and buried a 20-yard shot with his left foot into the top left corner.

Meza finished the regular season as the team’s leading scorer with seven goals as the Heat had 36 goals from 15 players. That includes five from Kai Louviere, four from Ismael Mane, three from Gael Gallegos, Elie Bokota and Volkan Celikkol, two from Neto Contreras and Adam Knutson and one each from Montano, Zuniga, Ahinga Selemani, Vincent Montoya, Martin Piedeleu, Henox Roque and Todd Vromant.

The Heat will open the USL2 playoffs out of town this week with the dates, times and locations of the regional round matchups still being determined by USL2 league officials.

For tickets, visit laredoheatsc.thundertix.com/events, and for additional information, visit team.laredoheatsc.com.

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