In the USL W-League, the Oakland Soul played their first home game in front of 5,000 fans, while the SF Glens’ hot start of the season continued. Meanwhile, SF City won their USL League 2 home opener with a victory over Project 51O.
W League – Oakland Soul win in front of large crowd
The Oakland Soul capped off their home opener with a 1-0 win over the Olympic Club of San Francisco on Saturday afternoon. The doubleheader with their affiliated men’s team drew a crowd of 5,855 fans to Pioneer Stadium in Hayward, the largest crowd in the five-year history of the Oakland Roots franchise.
There were no goals in the first half. Both sides had chances, but the Soul searched for the right tempo as the visitors’ well-organized defense kept them off the scoreboard.
“I thought we struggled a little bit,” Soul Head Coach Jessica Clinton said after the match. “We got caught up in the pressure of having that big crowd and performing in front of it. The majority of our players have not seen that. There’s only a small handful that have played in front of crowds that size. And so, when we went into the second half, that was a big part of it. There weren’t any major changes.”
Clinton said the club’s second-half approach was to be “a little bit more dynamic.” That approach paid off in the 63rd minute when Kaytlin Brinkman pounced on a loose ball to score on her fifth shot of the match. Aliyah Jones had made the initial run into the box, but was taken off the ball by an Olympic Club defender.
Brinkman is a natural forward playing a central midfield role for the Soul. Clinton commented on what Brinkman brings to the team.
“I think she’s an excellent central midfielder,” she said. “We have to learn and teach her about spacing and, like, when to go and when to pull away. It’s not her natural position, but you see the talent and you see the thought processes, you see her ability to attack, and her toughness, which is why I value her. So, she’ll be playing there for a little bit more.”
After the goal, Soul dropped back defensively but still found opportunities on the counter. They nearly scored an insurance goal in the 83rd minute when Jordan Geis’ shot hit the post, and Olympic Club goalkeeper Lauren Racioppi smothered her rebound attempt.
And as the final whistle blew, the players celebrated a historic moment for the club and their second consecutive victory to begin their inaugural season.
“The atmosphere, the crowd, everything that was going on, was amazing, was inspiring,” Clinton said.
The Soul next return to action on May 28 against Academica SC at Merritt College.
W League – Glens romp over Academica again
The San Francisco Glens traveled to the Central Valley and faced Academica for the second weekend in a row. The final 5-0 scoreline helped the Glens take a convincing lead at the top of the W-League Nor Cal Division standings.
The first half was a tight affair with the only goal from the Glens’ Maddy Samilo in the 22nd minute off a pass from Nadia Gomes.
Gomes scored again after the break. Maddy Samilo scored two and Kaylee Kim contributed another goal as San Francisco cruised in the second half.
Next up for the Glens are a pair of matches at Skyline College, taking on the Marin FC Sirens on Friday at 4 pm and the Olympic Club on Sunday at 1.
- In other W League action: Stockton Cargo SC defeated the Marin FC Sirens 3-2.
League 2 – SF City win home opener over Project 51O
San Francisco City got off to a good start at home in USL League 2 with a 2-1 victory over Project 51O.
Playing at Boxer Stadium, City’s Issay Bravo’s low shot booted the home side into the lead in the 11th minute.
After a foul in the box, San Francisco’s Bernanrdo Berardinelli stepped up to the penalty spot in the 29th minute and gave City a 2-0 lead they took into the break.
51O applied the pressure in the second half but the City defense and goalkeeper Matias Herrera-Fuentes were up to the task, conceding only one goal in the 88th minute from Luis Saldana.
SF City now have two weeks off until they travel to Turlock to take on Academica on May 26.
League 2 – SF Glens earn hard fought victory over Academica
The San Francisco Glens outlasted host Academica with a 5-3 victory in Turlock.
It was a tight first half with the Glens running out to an early lead behind two goals from USF forward Max Chrétien in the first ten minutes. Academica were able to tie the game with goals from Joshua Santillan and Felipe Lopez, before the Glens’ Chrétien completed a hat trick with a goal in the 36th minute.
The Glens came out on the attack in the second half with USF’s Max Hamelink scoring in the 50th minute and Kian Jones in the 59th. Academica’s Ricardo Rosas scored a consolation goal in the 90th minute for the final scoreline.
- In other League 2 games: Monterey Bay FC 2 defeated Marin FC Legends 5-2.
(Douglas Zimmerman contributed to this roundup report)
