By: Niko Temores, contributor

Club Tijuana takes a victory and regional bragging rights as Iván Tona’s late goal defeats a young San Diego FC team in a 2-1 score.

SAN DIEGO- A back-and-forth game with momentum shifting throughout the match, with Tijuana capitalizing on more opportunities. Tijuana took control of the match first, with Joban González scoring the opener around the 34 minute.

SDFC answered back with Osvald Søe scoring an equalizer from a header off a corner kick right before half-time. Bryan Zamblé was trying to give SDFC a chance, with him taking solid shots. However, Club Tijuana’s goalie Salim Hernandez was holding down the box. 

Duran Ferree made an important save in the 56 minute, trying to give SDFC a chance. SDFC took a strong approach at the start of the second half. 

Entering the 82nd minute, Tijuana was pushing hard, leading to Ivan Tona scoring a long-range strike to finish off the game. Collins Jr. for SDFC tried to push down and get a final shot, but Tijuana held it down with excellent defense to keep SDFC to one goal.

This game was an exhibition match following the second of a five-year partnership between San Diego/Baja region; SDFC won last year following a 4-2 score. Both teams had younger lineups tonight, hoping to test out new talent for future games. 

SDFC’s next match is Inter Miami on Sept. 20, hoping to bounce back, as the loss to Tijuana will be their fourth consecutive loss. Their last MLS game was a 0-5 loss to Philadelphia, the most lopsided game in club history.