El Paso Locomotive FC ground out a 1–0 victory over Monterey Bay FC on Wednesday night in USL Championship action, with Alex Méndez scoring the only goal of the contest in the 30th minute.

The match got chippy early. Monterey Bay's Nico Gordon picked up a yellow card in the 13th minute, and teammate Zackery Farnsworth followed him into the book just seven minutes later. The visitors' aggressive approach failed to unsettle El Paso, though, and it was the hosts who found the breakthrough. Méndez finished off a move started by Eric Calvillo on the half hour, putting Locomotive in front. El Paso's Arturo Ortíz was cautioned in first-half stoppage time as both sides traded fouls heading into the break.

The second half offered fewer clear-cut moments. Monterey Bay head coach Alex Covelo was shown a yellow card in the 60th minute, a sign of growing frustration on the visiting bench as his side struggled to find a route back into the game. El Paso defender Noah Dollenmayer was booked in the 84th minute — five yellow cards spread across both teams reflecting a physical, stop-start affair that never truly opened up after the goal.

Monterey Bay ultimately lacked the cutting edge to test El Paso's resolve, and Locomotive held firm to claim all three points. The win gives El Paso valuable ground in the Western Conference standings as the season enters its stretch run.