This week, El Farolito remained undefeated in conference play, Napa Valley earned a big road win at San Ramon, and Sacramento won its regular season finale.
Kreye’s Brace Leads El Farolito to Win Over Oakland SC
El Farolito moved another step closer to clinching the Golden Gate Conference’s regular season title with a 4-1 win over Oakland SC at Boxer Stadium on Saturday.
Oakland goalkeeper Colin Nestor faced pressure from the first minute of the match, when he made a kick save on a one-timer from Edgard Kreye.
Felipe Ponce opened the scoring for El Farolito in the 6th minute, on a shot from just outside the penalty area. Ponce came close to scoring again in the 20th minute, but his free kick hit the crossbar.
Kreye added the second goal in the 38th minute, as two Farolito forwards converged at the near post. Erik Arias got off a soft shot that appeared to be on target; Kreye gave it a boost with his right foot to make sure.
In the second half, Nestor made a diving stop on Kreye’s header in the 57th minute.
But Kreye would not be denied, finally earning a brace in the 66th minute. Kreye turned his leg sideways and connected on a one-timer, set up by a Herlbert Soto cross.
Farolito’s goalkeeper Julian Escobar kept a clean sheet until the 78th minute, when Oakland’s Gamal Compaore intercepted a pass from a Farolito defender, dribbled around Escobar, and put the ball into the empty net.
But the hosts regained their three goal lead in the 88th minute, when Erik Arias emerged from a crowd of players in the penalty area and redirected the ball into the net.
Napa Valley Wins the Showdown for Second Place
Napa Valley 1839 beat host San Ramon FC 2-1 at Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon. Both clubs entered the match with 21 points in their first 10 matches.
Napa’s Emmanuel Duran opened the scoring in the 40th minute to give his club a 1-0 lead at halftime. Victor Cascon extended the visitors’ lead early in the second half.
Nate Carrasco brought the home side to within a single goal in the 63rd minute. But San Ramon’s hopes were dampened when Marco Carbajal received his second yellow card in the 79th minute, forcing them to play with 10 men for the remainder of the match.
Sacramento Ends Regular Season with Road Win Over Stompers
Sacramento Gold FC completed their regular season with a 2-0 win over the Oakland Stompers at Chabot College in Hayward.
First half goals from Kody Duff in the 22nd minute and Joseph Restani in the 31st minute were all the visitors needed to secure the win.
Sacramento finished in fourth place in the regular season conference standings.
Next Week
The final week of the regular season begins on Tuesday evening, with El Farolito hosting the Oakland Stompers at Kezar Stadium in a match that was originally scheduled to be played on May 4. Farolito can clinch the regular season title with a win.
Saturday’s matches include Oakland SC hosting the Stompers, San Ramon FC hosting El Farolito, and Napa Valley 1839 FC hosting California Odyssey SC.
