El Farolito Wins Golazo Over Cruizers FC
League leaders El Farolito won their fourth consecutive league match of the season with a 6-2 win over Cruizers FC at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, thanks in large part to a hat trick from leading scorer Dembor Benson.
But the visitors from Fresno remained in second place in the conference standings with 3 wins in their first 5 matches and became the first team to score a goal against the defending NPSL champions in league play this season.
Cruizers Fall Way Behind Early in the First Half
The first few minutes were a nightmare for the Cruizers. In the second minute, a Cruizers defender sent a backpass to goalkeeper Sebastian Romero, as Farolito’s Edgard Kreye rushed toward him. Romero tried to boot the ball downfield, but it deflected off of Kreye and into the net.
Benson quickly made it a three goal advantage with goals in the 5th and 7th minutes. The first goal was a clinical finish, after Benson picked up a loose ball in the box. On the second one, Romero made a diving stop, but Benson emerged out of a crowd of players to put the rebound home.
Farolito also scored a fourth goal in the 24th minute on a Kipre Sacre header from close range, as Cruizers players pleaded for offside.
Cruizers’ Offense Gains Confidence As the Half Goes On
Even though the Cruizers were trailing by four goals, they rose to the challenge, and the rest of the half was full of chances on both sides.
It began in the 26th minute, when Johnatan Mosquera’s slow pass to Escobar was intercepted by a Cruizers player who was unable to get a shot off at close range.
In the 31st minute, Jorge Medina’s header was on target, forcing El Farolito goalkeeper Julian Escobar to jump in order to make sure the ball wouldn’t sneak under the crossbar.
In the 33rd minute, Romero rushed out of the penalty area but didn’t get the ball. But Cruizer defenders were able to keep the ball out of the empty net.
In the 40th minute, a shot by the Cruizers’ Joseph Mayorca forced Escobar to make a kick save to keep the ball out of the net.
Cruizers’ offensive effort was rewarded with a goal in the 43rd minute. Medina made a perfectly timed run and was one-on-one with Escobar, who was unable to get off his line and cut down the angle. Medina placed his shot perfectly, just inside the far post.
Cruizers Draw Closer in the Second Half, Then El Farolito Closes It Out
As the second half began, the Cruizers made a goalkeeper switch, bringing in Gerardo Hernandez.
They were further rewarded for their offensive persistence another goal in the 56th minute, when Medina grabbed the ball on the counterattack and made a long run down the left sideline to score his second goal of the match.
For the next few minutes, it seemed possible that the visitors could score another to increase the pressure on Farolito. But Benson restored the host club’s three goal advantage in the 65th minute, beating Cruizer defenders to the ball and chipping the ball over Hernandez’s head.
Hernandez was further tested in second half stoppage time, when he got his hand on a shot from distance by Aly Arriola, deflecting it off of the post.
El Farolito closed out of the scoring later in stoppage time, when Daniel Buitrago converted a penalty kick.
Coach’s Comments
After the game, El Farolito Head Coach Santiago Lopez commented on his team’s performance.
“It was surprising for all of us to score three goals in seven minutes, and I think the team noticed I was pressing high. We ended up settling into the game and not maintaining that. It’s very difficult to maintain high intensity for 90 minutes, but it’s surprising to see that we couldn’t keep it up for 25 minutes. With that goal, the other team ended up getting more air and started realizing they could cause some damage, and they ended up doing it. Fortunately we were able to score a couple more goals in the second half.”
Lopez also said he wasn’t particularly upset about giving up the club’s first two goals in NPSL play this season.
“You obviously don’t want to receive goals, but it happens. We want to keep a positive note that this is our fourth game and two goals against still maintains a very good percentage, but we need to work on those situations. We knew they could have hurt us on the counter, and they did that in one of the goals.”
Late Goal Earns Oakland Stompers Three Points vs. California Odyssey
The host Stompers earned their third of the season with a win over California Odyssey, thanks to an 89th minute goal by Fabian Oviedo Barrantes.
Oakland’s Arnaud Mantuidi kicked off the scoring in the 17th minute and Lupe Fernandez evened the match with his goal in the 71st minute.
Sacramento Gold Comes Out on Top of Seesaw Battle with San Leandro
Sacramento Gold earned their second win of the season, beating the visitors from San Leandro by a score of 3-2. Salvador Sandoval’s game winner came on a penalty kick in the 87th minute.
Sandoval also kicked off the scoring in the 5th minute, and San Leandro equalized in the 33rd minute on a penalty kick by Juan Arreola Granados.
Sacramento responded with a successful penalty from Luis Cruz-Perez in the 39th minute, and San Leandro’s Jose Bayardo Espinoza Lovo evened the match at 2-2 with a 79th minute goal.
