After El Farolito won its first two matches of the season by margins of 10 goals or more, most people probably assumed there would be little excitement in the first meeting of the season between Farolito and the Oakland Stompers.
After all, the Stompers had lost their last 8 meetings with Farolito over the past four seasons, most by large margins.
But this time it would be different.
Plenty of Excitement in the First Half
At first it seemed like a fluke in the fifth minute when Atonal Torres tapped in a short cross to give the Stompers a 1-0 lead. The tap-in kept alive Torres’s streak of scoring a goal in all three of Oakland’s matches this season.
In the 11th minute, the match was paused for a few minutes when El Farolito’s Omar Lemus suffered a foot injury in a collision with Oakland’s Harnoor Sidhu. It was determined that Lemus had a painful bruise and he was able to return to the game.
Play resumed in the 14th minute and moments later Dembor Benson headed home a cross at the near post to even the score at 1-1.
Farolito hunted for the go ahead goal, but they were held back by a strong defensive effort by the Stompers and their goalkeeper, Victor Reyes.
In the 26th minute, Reyes deflected a shot out of danger. On the subsequent corner kick, a shot by a Farolito attacker grazed off of the crossbar and was quickly cleared away.
A couple of minutes later, Farolito’s Erik Arias made a run into the box to catch up with a cross, but he wasn’t able to get enough on his shot to beat Reyes.
In the 33rd minute, a shot from close range by Herlbert Soto was headed off the goal line by an Oakland defender.
Three minutes later, Benson was awarded a penalty kick. He approached the ball calmly, observing which direction Reyes was going in, then sent the ball the in the other direction. It was Benson’s 8th goal of the season.
In the 43rd minute, Erik Arias made it 3-1, receiving a short pass and taking a shot that had just enough on it to beat Reyes.
But Oakland received a lifeline in the final moments of the first half, the referee awarding them a penalty kick at the 45th minute, which Torres quickly converted.
Oakland was showing more confidence now, winning a corner kick that resulted in Kalani Napoleon’s header that went wide of the mark.
There was only time left for one more goal, but it was a spectacular one,, with Oakland’s Rafael Manzo Chavez trapping the ball with his chest in front of goal and scoring with a quick volley shortly before the halftime whistle blew.
Seeking Scarce Second Hand Goals
El Farolito tried to set a quicker tempo in the second half, but Oakland’s end-to-end pressure effort was enough to keep them off of the scoreboard, at least for awhile.
In the 53rd minute, Benson had a chance to complete a hat trick, but his headed cross sailed over the crossbar.
In the 60th minute, Herlbert Soto had a shot from close range, but it sailed over the bar.
In the 68th minute, Edgard Kreye found an open space in the box, but his weak shot was scooped up by Reyes.
The goal that finally won the match for Farolito came in the 73rd minute and was scored by Colombian Centerback Cristian Camilo Valencia Cifuentes, with an assist from Kreye.
Coaches’ Quotes
After the match, Head Coach Santiago Lopez praised the Stompers for their effort.
“It was a great, great game; we didn’t expect a six-goal first half, tied 3-3,” Lopez said. “It’s great to see that the Stompers have a good group and they definitely showed up to play.”
Stompers Head Coach Martin Sierra was very proud of his team’s performance.
“Oh man, it’s great, just to see that people are able to see the level we’re bringing. You know, our first two games were bumpy compared to what we showed today, but we just want everybody know that we have a great group of guys that are just willing to play against anybody, don’t matter who it is. We wish that the calls could have been a little bit more fair, but that’s a different story.”
Sierra was referring to the yellow card he received late in the second half when he and other team members expressed disappointment with the referee and his crew over what they perceived as flopping by Farolito players.
“We’re bringing something very special that’s great. This is only the beginning.”
Cruizers Earn Road Win Over San Jose
In other Golden Gate Conference action, Cruizers FC remained undefeated with two wins and a draw in their first three matches, overcoming an early goal to earn a 2-1 win at PAL Stadium in San Jose. Jhonier Ravelo scored in the 22nd minute for the host side. Cruizers came roaring back with goals from Javier Guerrero (59th minute) and Noah Reyneveld (66th minute).
Three players received red cards in the waning moments of the match: David Cortez from the Cruizers and San Jose’s Harold Rodríguez Balmaceda and Marlon Márquez Chicas.
Next Weekend
El Farolito’s match with Cruizers FC is a meeting of the top 2 clubs in the current Golden Gate Conference standings. It will take place at Modesto Christian School, Roy Blakeley Field on Saturday May 23.
Lopez said that the club’s match with the Stompers will be very helpful as Farolito approaches a challenging portion of their schedule.
“Yeah, yeah, definitely,” he said. “We need high intensity games so we can learn and grow as a team so that we know what to do and can prepare ourselves to try to qualify for the playoffs and try to win the conference again.
“Cruizers is a very high quality team, and we’re gonna go there with the heat. It’s a beautiful field, but a small one, very narrow. They have a good crowd, and a very good team, and we’re looking forward to that.”
El Farolito is also hosting Sun City FC on Thursday, May 28 at Kezar Stadium. Lopez said he is not yet familiar with the El Paso, Texas-based team.
“No clue, but I know that they have some ex-professional players as well, so they’re going to be coming in fresh,” Lopez said. “They’re going to play us on Thursday, and then they have the second game after that, and the weekend following after us. So, we’re expecting them to come in hard and strong. And you know, we’ll try to give them a surprise early in the game.”
The Stompers return home Saturday May 23 to take on Vacaville Elite at Chabot College Soccer Field.
