This weekend was highlighted by a top of the table clash between El Farolito and Napa Valley 1839 FC, as well as road wins for San Ramon FC and California Odyssey SC.
El Farolito Solidifies Its Hold on First Place with Big Win Over Napa
In their final regular season matchup of the season, a brace from Edgard Kreye powered El Farolito to a 4-0 win over Napa Valley 1839 FC. The match was played on a cold, windy summer afternoon at Boxer Stadium in San Francisco.
Both clubs are among the highest scoring teams in the conference. Farolito entered the match with 22 goals in 7 league matches, while Napa came in with 29 in 9 matches.
In Saturday’s match, Napa played behind the ball for much of the first half, limiting El Farolito to a few chances.
In the 5th minute, Jonatan Valdivia made a run into the box, but his shot was deflected away by Napa goalkeeper Javier Valdez for a corner kick.
In the 19th minute, Kreye came close, but his header drifted over the bar.
The turning point in the match came in the 44th minute, when El Farolito mounted a sustained attack in Napa’s penalty area. Valdez made the initial save, but Jhohann Yabur was trailing the play and buried a shot from well beyond the penalty area to give the host side a 1-0 lead going into halftime.
As the second half went on, Napa started pushing players forward, looking for the equalizer, but this also left more room for El Farolito’s attackers.
Kreye’s first goal came in the 62nd minute, winning the ball in the penalty area, taking a pair of dribbles and burying a shot from point blank range. Kreye completed the brace three minutes later to put the match out of reach, intercepting a pass from a Napa defender in the box and finishing with clinical precision.
Napa had a few chances late in the second half, including a shot from just beyond the penalty area in that Farolito goalkeeper Johan Lizarralde batted away for a corner kick.
Erik Arias completed the scoring in the 89th minute on a breakaway, going top shelf with a powerful blast from close range.
San Ramon Tops Sacramento
San Ramon FC solidified their hold onto third position in the standings with a 4-2 win at fourth-place Sacramento Gold FC. A first-half brace from Edgar Castaneda enabled the visitors to jump out to a three-goal lead and they never looked back.
San Ramon’s Nate Carrasco opened the scoring in the 19th minute, and Castaneda added his two goals in the 34th and 41st minute.
Sacramento changed goalkeepers at halftime, with Gerardo Perez Plata being replaced by Mac Learned.
Preston Moll snatched a goal back for Sacramento in the 61st minute, but Andrew Alvarado added another for San Ramon in the 75th minute to regain their three-goal cushion.
Alonso Fernandez scored the final goal for Sacramento in the 77th minute.
California Odyssey Overwhelms Stompers
The visitors from Reedley, California earned a 5-2 win over the Oakland Stompers at Chabot College in Hayward on Saturday night.
California Odyssey SC charged out to a 2-0 lead, thanks to goals by Stephan Morris (33rd minute) and Eduardo Rueda (36th minute). The Stompers’ Fabian Oviedo Barrantes cut the deficit to 2-1 by converting a penalty kick two minutes before halftime.
The visitors put the match away in the second half, thanks to goals by Silvestre Quintero, an own goal by an Oakland defender, and Alexis Rodriguez. Barrantes converted another penalty, but the Stompers could draw no closer.
Next Week
With three weeks remaining in the regular season, California Odyssey SC hosts El Farolito, San Ramon FC hosts the Oakland Stompers, and Oakland SC hosts Sacramento Gold FC. Napa Valley 1839 FC has the week off.
