El Farolito won the NPSL Golden Gate Conference championship for the third consecutive season with a 3-2 victory over Napa Valley 1839 FC at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco on Saturday night. The win also likely secures El Farolito an invitation to the 2025 U.S. Open Cup.
El Farolito Gets Off to a Quick Start in the First Half
El Farolito had the first chance of the match in the 4th minute, when an Erik Arias header on a cross by Edgard Kreye required a diving stop by Napa goalkeeper Javier Valdeza.
The visitors’ first good chance came on a counter attack in the 21st minute, when a shot by Ulysses Vega from inside the penalty arc sailed over the crossbar.
The host side took the lead in the 28th minute. A Farolito midfielder stole an outlet pass from Vega and fed the ball to Kipre Sacre as he made his run down the right side of the penalty area. Sacre’s short cross bounced twice on the turf and Erik Arias slid on the ground to redirect the ball into the net.
Napa had another opportunity in the 32nd minute, when Oscar Ortiz took a soft shot from beyond the penalty area that fooled Farolito goalkeeper Johan Lizarralde, who was able to redirect it over the endline for a corner.
Farolito pressed hard for a second goal and seemed to be taking control of the match. In the 42nd minute, Sacre took an on target shot from well beyond the penalty area that forced Valdeza to make a quick adjustment to deflect it over the bar.
But Napa’s fortunes suddenly improved in first half stoppage time. First, Napa’s Alvaro Carreras took a shot that was partially blocked by Kreye and went over the endline. Then, Javier Alcarria Moreno’s subsequent corner kick found Carreras in a crowd of Farolito players in the box and Carreras headed it home to bring his team even at the half.
El Farolito Rebuilds Its Lead in the Second Half
El Farolito regained the lead in the 52nd minute thanks to their intricate passing attack. A Farolito cross ended up on the foot of Kreye, who laid it off for Jehimy Arias, who gave it to Jonatan Valdivia, who headed it into the net.
The hosts appeared to put the match away in the 60th minute, taking a 3-1 lead on a goal by Gabriel Arias, who intercepted an attempted clearance by a Napa defender, took a couple of dribbles and blasted a shot from the top of the penalty area that beat Valdeza at the far post.
El Farolito continued to attack, even with their two goal cushion.
But Napa came back again in the 83rd minute, thanks to second half substitute Dario Pavon, who dribbled the ball to the edge of the area, played a give and go with teammate Ryan Kane, and beat Lizarralde with a shot tucked inside the far post.
The last few minutes of the match were nervewracking for Farolito and its supporters as well as slightly surreal. They featured fireworks going off twice during random moments of stoppage time, and later a visit from two officers from the San Francisco Police Department, looking for the culprits who had brought them.
In the middle of all that chaos, Napa had an excellent chance to tie the match in stoppage time. Pavon received a pass at the end of the 6-yard box. His low, hard shot was on target, but Lizzaralde was able to get a hand on the ball and knock it over the endline.
The visitors had another chance to equalize later in stoppage time, when Pavon sent a short pass to Emmanuel Duran who arrived a moment too late to redirect the ball into the net.
After the match, El Farolito Head Coach Santiago Lopez reflected on his team’s performance.
“We managed the ball very well in the first half,” Lopez said. “Unfortunately, that corner kick put us in a tough situation. But I told the players at halftime that I felt that was a good thing because that way we needed to come out in the second half with a more aggressive mentality and composure to try to finish the game. With two goals we thought we had the game under control. And unfortunately, [Napa’s] second goal always puts us in more nervous situation. With the last play of the match, they could have scored and tied the game.”
Next Up for El Farolito
With the win, El Farolito also moves on to the quarterfinals of the NSPL’s national championship tournament. They will take on FC Arizona next weekend and likely host the match.
FC Arizona did not have to play a playoff match this weekend since their scheduled opponent, Las Vegas Legends FC, were declared to be ineligible to participate in the 2024 NPSL Playoffs due to not meeting their financial obligations to the league.
