San Antonio FC ground out a 1-0 victory over New Mexico United on Saturday in USL Championship play, with Curt Calov's first-half strike proving the difference.

The game's decisive moment came in the 29th minute. Nelson Blanco Flores picked out Calov, who converted to give the hosts the lead. It was the only goal San Antonio would need, though the final hour of the match was far from comfortable.

New Mexico pushed for an equalizer but couldn't find a way through. The visitors' frustration began to show as the second half wore on, with Christopher Gloster picking up a yellow card in the 57th minute. San Antonio weren't exactly angels either — Santiago Suarez was booked six minutes later, and from there the cards piled up.

The closing stages turned ugly. Four more San Antonio players were cautioned — Luke Haakenson and Zico Bailey of New Mexico both saw yellow in the 80th minute, followed by bookings for Emil Cuello and Greg Hurst in the 85th. Mitchell Taintor joined the list in the 87th minute, and Diogo Pacheco was carded deep into stoppage time. Eight yellow cards in total across the two sides told the story of a second half defined by hard fouls and rising tensions.

Despite the chaos, San Antonio held firm. New Mexico never found the equalizer, and the hosts saw out the result without conceding a late goal — something that required discipline even as the card count mounted.

The win gives San Antonio FC a valuable three points as both teams jockey for positioning in the stretch run of the USL Championship season.