On Saturday, El Farolito and Academica SC won their semi-final matches to earn berths in the NPSL Golden Gate Division title match next weekend.
El Farolito’s Second Half Surge Overwhelms Sonoma
El Farolito grabbed an early lead and took control of the match late in the second half to beat Sonoma Sol FC by a score of 4-0.
Farolito entered the match as the far more experienced side, with Saturday’s starting eleven averaging 26 years of age, while the average age of Sonoma’s starters is 21. But while Sonoma struggled during the regular season, they had knocked out #1 seeded FC Davis one week earlier.
Farolito opened the scoring in the 8th minute, when Gabriel Arias’s free kick from the edge of the penalty arc cleared a six-man wall and settled in the upper right corner of the net. The free kick was awarded as the result of a hard foul by Sonoma’s Antony Gonzalez Cruz, who was also yellow carded on the play.
Farolito had the majority of the possession in the remainder of the half, building their attack gradually with overlapping runs. Their best chances came in the 25th and 38th minutes, but they were unable to unable to get a shot on net either time.
Sonoma also looked dangerous at times, especially on the counterattack. Farolito goalkeeper Jonathan Barona was forced to make two key saves to preserve the lead: a diving save in the 30th minute, tipping a shot over the end line for a corner kick, and a leaping save four minutes into the second half to keep Sonoma’s Sebastian Santos off of the scoresheet.
Farolito finally got a little bit of breathing room in the 67th minute, when Dembor Benson got loose in the penalty area and sent a soft shot past Sonoma goalkeeper Manuel Amador into the bottom right corner of the net.
Two minutes later, Sonoma’s Santos tested Barona again, forcing him to make another diving save.
Farolito’s Julio Herrera put the match away in the 74th minute, off of a cross by Jhonatan Perez. And Benson emphatically closed out the scoring four minutes later, on a cheeky lob that floated over Amador’s head and settled softly into the net. Benson nearly earned the hat trick in the 85th minute, but Amador’s kick save forced him to settle for the brace.
Academica SC Outlasts Napa Valley
Academica SC beat Napa Valley 1839 FC by a score of 2-0 on Saturday night in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd in Turlock, many of whom were banging on cowbells given out to the first 100 fans in attendance.
Academica had most of the early chances, thanks to the constant pressure they put on Napa all over the field. They earned a corner kick in the 12th minute, but a shot from distance by Bryan Henriquez Rivera went wide. One minute later, Cody Golbad found an opening on the left side of the penalty area, but Napa goalkeeper Sucre Herrera made the diving save for a corner kick.
A goal seemed inevitable and it arrived in the 14th minute. Herrera made a diving save on a shot by Golbad from outside the penalty area, but Gabriel Hernandez rushed in to pounce on the rebound and send a hard, low shot that Herrera couldn’t reach.
The chances continued for Academica. In the 29th minute, Felipe Lopez’s shot from 25 yards out sailed over the bar for a goal kick. And Ramiro Ceja was able to create two chances along the right side in the waning moments of the first half. His shot in the 44th minute, came from a difficult angle, but Herrera blocked it for a corner. Ceja’s shot in the third minute of stoppage time appeared to be on target, but Herrera was able to deflect it wide.
As the match went on, Napa began relying primarily on the longball to generate offense and keep its defensive shape. Their best chance of the first half came in the 22nd minute, when Dario Pavon’s hard shot deflected off of the hands of Academica goalkeeper Alonso Lara. (Lara later had to leave the match in the 39th minute after suffering an apparent injury and was replaced by David Hernandez.)
The second half began with more of the same. Academica nearly doubled their lead in the 48th minute, when Daniel Gomez intercepted a pass at midfield and Golbad made an overlapping run along the right side; Sucre came out to cut down the angle, but the ball trickled through his hands and was heading into the net when Napa defender Paul Ramsey cleared it off the line.
In the 50th minute, Academica’s Bryan Manriquez was yellow carded for a hard tackle on Luis Mendoza. On the subsequent free kick, Napa’s Javier Moreno sent a long ball into the box; Pavon emerged from the crowd to head it toward the far post, but it went wide.
The final 20 minutes of the match were filled with end-to-end action, as Napa players rushed forward, searching frantically for the tying goal, while Academica looked for opportunities to add to their margin on the counterattack.
Napa nearly scored in the 70th minute, when Hernandez couldn’t handle a shot from distance and Luis Mendoza was in a perfect position for the rebound at the far post; Mendoza’s shot sailed over the crossbar as he fell to the turf.
Four minutes later, Paris Martins took down Academica’s Bryan Manriquez near the left touchline; Jorge Carmona’s free kick cleared the two-man wall but was punched out by Sucre.
Napa’s best chance of tying up the match came in the 81st minute, when Luis Mendoza’s shot from the top of the penalty arc was deflected toward the far post; Gerardo Mendoza was in perfect position for the rebound, but his shot soared over the crossbar.
Jorge Carmona enabled the Academica faithful to breathe a sigh of relief in the 90th minute, deking a Napa defender and sending in a soft cross from the left side of goal that trickled past Herrera and three Napa defenders into the net.
