Two Late Goals Enable Sacramento to Top Academica
Sacramento Gold FC clinched the top seed in the upcoming conference playoffs with a 3-1 win at Academica SC in both clubs’ final regular season match of the season.
Christopher Cervantes’ 85th minute goal broke a 1-1 tie and Manolo Pina scored his 12th of the season to put the match away in stoppage time.
Dalton Pando got the the visitors on the board just before halftime. Academica’s Felipe Lopez equalized in the 73rd minute.
Sacramento finishes the regular season with 8 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw. They’ve won 6 consecutive matches since their 1-1 home draw with Academica on April 23.
Academica also ended a disappointing regular season with a record of 4 wins, 5 losses, and 1 draw. They’re currently the fifth seed, but their position could change depending on next weekend’s results.
Napa Valley Overruns Shorthanded FC Davis
Napa Valley 1839 FC scored 4 goals in the first 19 minutes and cruised to an 8-1 victory over FC Davis in 100-degree temperatures in Napa on Saturday night.
(Photo courtesy of Napa Valley 1839 FC)
The hosts opened the scoring in the 2nd minute, when a Davis defender committed a hand ball in the box and Dario Pavon converted the subsequent penalty kick.
The second came in the 7th minute, when Miguel Galvan’s corner kick went directly to Javier Alcarria and his in-swinger from 20 yards out tucked inside the far post.
Galvan added his own name to the scoresheet 2 minutes later, on a long solo run from near midfield. As he approached the penalty area, he maneuvered around several defenders and fired a left-footed shot inside the left post.
The home side added a fourth in the 19th minute, set up by Ian Reis’s run along the left side. Davis goalkeeper Robert Sams stopped Reis’s shot with his foot, but the rebound went straight to Marco Manzo waiting in front of goal for the tap-in.
Manzo scored the fifth in the 35th minute on a team effort that included Oscar Ortiz passing the ball to an overlapping Pavon. Sams came out of his net to cut down the angle, so Pavon shoveled it over to Manzo for the easy finish.
Sucre Herrera replaced Carlos Ayala in goal for Napa at halftime.
Manzo completed the hat trick on a set piece 2 minutes into the second half. Galvan’s corner kick was flicked on to Manzo who was perched at the far post and he redirected it into the net.
Davis scored its only goal of the match in the 50th minute, when Ryan Kane was unmarked on the right side of the penalty area. Herrera ventured out of the six-yard-box to cut down the angle, but he couldn’t get a hand on Kane’s blast.
Napa added the 7th goal on the counterattack in the 80th minute. Sams got a hand on the shot by Oscar (Sheriff) Ortiz, but could only watch as it slowly trickled into the net.
The 8th came seconds before the final whistle, on a strike from beyond the penalty area by Victor Llorens Luna.
Four Unanswered Goals Enable Contra Costa to Top Sonoma
A second half scoring outburst enabled visiting Contra Costa FC to overcome Sonoma County Sol FC by a score of 5-3 on Saturday evening.
Kaya Yilmaz got the visitors on the scoreboard first in the 15th minute, but the host side roared back to take a halftime lead on goals from Maurilio Lopez in the 29th minute and Zane Stromberg in the 37th.
But Contra Costa responded with four unanswered goals in the second half to grab the 3 points. They included tallies by JJ Foe Nuphaus in the 49th minute, Edgar Castaneda in the 56th, Andrew Alvarado in the 67th, and Nate Carrasco in the 71st.
Antony Gonzalez Cruz got one back for the host side in the 89th minute.
Contra Costa finishes an up-and-down regular season with 4 wins, 5 losses, and 1 draw. They’re currently sitting in 4th place in the standings (thanks to their regular season win over Academica, which has an identical record). They await the result of next week’s matches to determine their playoff seed.
Next Week
The final weekend of the regular season will decide the #2 playoff seed, as El Farolito travels north to take on Sonoma County and Napa heads south to take on Oakland SC. FC Davis hosts the Oakland Stompers.
