El Farolito Comes Back to Win Battle of First Place Teams
A pair of second half goals enabled El Farolito to complete an undefeated regular season with a 2-1 win over FC Arizona at Boxer Stadium in San Francisco on Saturday afternoon.
For weeks, El Farolito and FC Arizona seemed to be mirror images of each other. Both won their first five matches, then tied their sixth.
But while Farolito kept winning, FC Arizona lost its next two matches, due in part to an injury to leading scorer Marco Afonso, who played collegiate soccer at nearby Grand Canyon University.
Afonso was back in the starting lineup on Saturday and the visiting club took control early. El Farolito goalkeeper Johan Lizarralde was forced to make several key saves to keep the match scoreless, including a diving stop on a shot by Marlon Atondo in the 5th minute.
Four minutes later, Afonso nearly scored from point blank range, but Lizarralde’s quick reflexes enabled him to deflect the shot away.
Afonso had another chance in the 24 minute, sliding on the turf to try and redirect the ball into the net.
Farolito struggled with Arizona’s press in the first half but still had chances early, including an attempted bicycle kick by Juan Aguilar in the 8th minute, a shot from Jehimy Arias that went wide in the 23rd minute, and a couple of chances for Cesar Quintero.
Arizona shocked the Boxer Stadium faithful with its goal in the 31st minute. A chain of passes led to a chance for Afonso in the penalty area, but instead he dished the ball off to Cesar Moreno who was able to tap the ball in from close range.
Farolito nearly equalized on a header by Dembor Benson in first half stoppage time, but his shot went wide.
El Farolito Takes Over in the Second Half
The host side came out with renewed vigor in the second half. In the 47th minute, Quintero nearly scored in the scramble after a free kick but his shot sailed over the bar.
Farolito finally scored in the 53rd minute on a direct ball out of the back. Lizarralde punted the ball over midfield and Benson headed on to Jesus Martinez who slightly redirected the ball to avoid a pair of Arizona defenders then fired a volley that beat Arizona’s goalkeeper Derek Hatcher.
The hosts continued putting pressure on Arizona’s defense, with Hatcher stopping a shot attempt from the left side by Axel Fuentes in the 59th minute and Quintero getting off a bicycle kick from close range two minutes later that went wide.
When the game winner finally came in the 64th minute it was a memorable one: a side volley by Aguilar in which he redirected a cross in mid-air and blasted it into the net.
But Arizona responded within a minute of Farolito taking the lead. Afonso’s shot was too hot for Lizarralde to handle, but Farolito’s Aguilar rushed in to clear the ball off the goal line before it trickled in.
As the San Francisco side tried to hold onto possession to run out the clock, Arizona had chances from Bryan Aceves and Luis Gallegos, but both shots sailed over the bar.
The visiting side received only one caution, a yellow card to Aceves in the 85th minute for an elbow to the head of a Farolito attacker that Farolito players and fans argued should’ve resulted in his ejection.
Arizona had one more chance in stoppage time. Afonso sent the ball into the box to set up one more chance for the visitors, but Kyle Benjamin’s shot just missed.
El Farolito remains the top seed in the Golden Gate Conference and will have home field advantage throughout the West Region playoffs.
FC Arizona Secures #1 Seed in Southwest at San Ramon
The next day, FC Arizona’s 1-1 draw with San Ramon FC was enough for them to lock down the #1 seed in the Southwest Conference.
Arizona finished the regular season tied for the top spot with California Odyssey. Both teams ended the season with 17 points, but Arizona had a better goal difference.
San Ramon had less to play for, since they had already secured the #3 seed in the Golden Gate Conference.
After remaining scoreless through most of the match, the visitors appeared to be on their way to securing the full three points on a goal by Gabriel Waters in the 80th minute.
But Nate Carrasco equalized in the 87th minute to secure a point for San Ramon as they prepare for the playoffs.
Napa Valley Cruises to Win Over California Odyssey
Napa Valley 1839 FC wrapped up their regular season with a 3-0 win over California Odyssey SC on Saturday night.
A pair of goals enabled Napa’s Dario Pavon to move into first place in the NPSL goal standings with 14 in 9 matches. He passed El Farolito’s Dembor Benson, who did not score in his team’s win over FC Arizona.
After dominating possession from the opening whistle, Napa got on the board in the 12th minute. The goal was set up by a pass from Oscar Ortiz to Paris Martins as he made his run into the penalty area. Goalkeeper Eddie Veliz came out to challenge for the ball, but Martins deflected it over to Luis Velasco, who dished it off to Pavon for the finish.
Miguel Lara entered the match as a substitute at halftime and set up Napa’s second goal less than three minutes later. His through ball found Pavon, who ran between a pair of Odyssey defenders to the edge of the penalty area. Veliz came out to challenge him, but Pavon chipped the ball over his head and into the net.
The final goal in the 60th minute was a virtual carbon copy of the previous one. This time Lara’s through ball was to Oscar Ortiz, whose chip from the edge of the penalty arc was just out of Veliz’s reach and made its way into the otherwise unguarded net.
Both Napa and California Odyssey finished the regular season as the #2 seed in their respective conferences.
Oakland SC Emerges Victorious in Seesaw Battle with Lions United
Oakland SC moved into the fourth seed in the Golden Gate Conference with a 4-3 win over Lions United FC at Oakland Technical High School on Saturday night.
At first the outlook appeared to be bleak for Oakland. The Brave Lions got goals from Mher Karamyan in the 15th minute and Justin Wright in the 30th minute to give them a commanding lead.
But Julio Cervantes got the host side back in the match with his goal in the 36th minute.
Oakland took over in the second half with a quick brace by Mahmoud Shimila in the 50th and 54th minute. But the visitors tied the match again with Mihran Petrosyan’s goal in the 80th minute.
Richard Perez Rodriguez’s 83rd minute goal decided the match, enabling Oakland to earn three points and the #4 seed in the upcoming conference playoffs.
Second Half Rally Powers Las Vegas to Win Over Sacramento
A pair of second half goals enabled Las Vegas Legends FC to earn a 2-0 victory in Sacramento on Saturday night.
Eduardo Guzman opened the scoring in the 70th minute and Brandon Vargas followed with another in the 74th minute.
Sacramento is the #5 seed in the Golden Gate Conference playoffs.
Davis Settles for Draw with Las Vegas
FC Davis couldn’t hold on to a two-goal halftime lead and had to settle for a 3-3 draw with Las Vegas Legends FC on Sunday night.
The home side got off to a great start, with goals by Benett Olsen-Zwick in the 6th minute and Wumi Aladetimi in the 20th minute.
Las Vegas responded with a 32nd minute goal from Daniel Rangel, but Zachary Batchelder restored their two goal advantage three minutes before halftime.
But Julio Borjas enabled Las Vegas to salvage a point with goals in the 67th and 78th minute.
Davis is the #7 seed in the Golden Gate Conference and Las Vegas is #3 in the upcoming Southwest Conference playoffs.
Lions United Crushes Oakland Stompers
In a battle of the last-place clubs in the Golden Gate and Southwest Conferences, the Oakland Stompers ended their regular season with a 5-1 loss to Lions United FC on Sunday afternoon, The match was moved to PAL Stadium in San Jose on short notice because the field at Raimondi Park in Oakland was unavailable.
Oakland had the chance to move up to the #7 seed in the Golden Gate Conference with a win, while Lions United would remain the #4 seed in the Southwest Conference no matter the result.
The visitors from Glendale put the match away in the first half with a three-goal outburst. Mher Karamyan earned a quick brace with goals in the 24th and 30th minute; Erik Amirkhanyan followed with another in the 36th.
It is no surprise that both of the Brave Lions’ first half scorers are of Armenian descent, since their owners also trace their roots back to Armenia and Glendale has a large Armenian community.
Bryce Watson added a fourth goal in the 57th minute and Oakland’s Erik MartÃnez got the host side on the board three minutes later.
Preston Onyenacho wrapped up the scoring for the Brave Lions in stoppage time.
