After the first three weekends of play in the Golden Gate Conference, El Farolito has once again established themselves as the team to beat, with wins in their first two league matches. The other six teams in the conference have each won one match, as they look to establish themselves in the playoff hunt.
Match 1: El Farolito’s “B-Team” Takes Down San Leandro
El Farolito not only earned a 4-0 victory over San Leandro FC on Saturday afternoon, but also demonstrated the deep talent pool that the San Francisco side has built this season.
With only three days rest after Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Monterey Bay in the U.S. Open Cup, it was inevitable that there would be some roster rotation.
Erik Arias was the only Farolito player who started on Tuesday and Saturday, but Saturday’s lineup still included familiar faces such as Brayan Gómez, Jorge Murillo, and former Aguiluchos/Oakland Roots goalkeeper Kevin Gonzalez, who played the first half in goal before being subbed out in favor of last season’s backup goalkeeper, Julian Escobar.
First Half: Two Goals in Three Minutes
Both teams had chances in the first 20 minutes of the match, with Farolito having a goal disallowed because of offside and San Leandro’s Edman Reyes getting his head on a cross, but watching it sail over the bar.
The first two goals came within a three minute span. In the 20th minute, a Farolito attacker’s bicycle kick hit the crossbar, and Jason Leiva pounced on the loose ball for the finish. Leiva is a 19-year-old Lowell High School graduate who previously played for San Francisco Glens Evolution.
The second goal was scored by 25-year-old Judas Higuera, who earned an assist in Farolito’s previous U.S. Open Cup win over Real Monarchs. Higuera redirected a cross into the net at the near post.
San Leandro had another chance in the 28th minute, when Manuel Hernandez received a pass at the far post, but goalkeeper Kevin Gonzalez smothered his weak shot attempt.
Pace Quickens in the Second Half As Starters Return
As the second half went on, the attacks started coming in waves. Four first team players came in in the 56th minute, and two more in the 62nd.
In the 60th minute, Brayan Gómez had a free kick that was easily saved by San Leandro goalkeeper Jose Perez. One minute later, a Farolito shot hit the post.
In the 79th minute, Perez also made a good save on Erik Arias’ shot from point blank range.
But a mistake by Perez ultimately led to Farolito putting the match out of reach. The 87th minute goal was a soft one, with Perez making an easy save on a shot from distance. But when he fell to the turf to secure the ball, it squirted out of his hands, and Dembor Benson was waiting at the far post to tap it in.
The home side kept going forward and they were rewarded in the second minute of stoppage time, Benson sent in a long cross toward the far post and Kipre Sacre was there for the finish.
The Coaches Speak
“We did a heavy, heavy rotation,” El Farolito Coach Santiago Lopez said after the match. “A lot of the players are fatigued from a very intense game on Tuesday, so coming into this game with one day of rest we trained very light on Thursday and yesterday. It’s a good thing that we have a good roster of young and experienced and some new people coming in today. There were two debuts in the club, and we want to give them the opportunity to do very well.”
“Good match,” San Leandro Coach George Hopkins said after the match. “I don’t think my team came ready for this match. I think we were asleep. Second half, we woke up a little bit and we played a little better. But again, some mental issues, mental mistakes, in terms of the intensity of the game. We’re still missing that intensity. It’s going to take some time to tweak that because our first year in the league, first time playing Farolito. Farolito has a history. A lot of the players are playing based on that history so that is still in the back of the head that they’re playing Farolito.”
San Leandro began NPSL play with a 4-2 loss to the Oakland Stompers and a 4-1 win over Cruizers SC. Hopkins said he’s happy that his club has moved to a more challenging league, in spite of any short-term growing pains.
“So far, as a new member, I like the league, I think it’s where we belong. I’ve been wanting the team to play at this level because we have good players, but good players at a low level doesn’t mean anything. So you move up. Let’s see what happens in the next game.”
Lopez said he was impressed by San Leandro’s team.
“It’s good to to see new clubs coming in, and I always feel a bit nervous for their first experience at Boxer because it’s so big,” Lopez said. “I noticed at the end that they were very, very fatigued, as you would expect from the grass conditions. They seem very professional, with a huge respect toward us. And that’s the same reason we have respect for them.”
The Next U.S. Open Cup Match May Be El Farolito’s Biggest Challenge
Farolito has a bye next weekend and doesn’t play again until April 15, when they travel to California’s capital city to face Sacramento Republic FC, which was a U.S. Open Cup finalist in 2022.
“From the little bit I know they’re very dynamic, they’re very vertical,” Lopez said. “They have a very good intensity going forward, and they know how to defend well. They have very good creative players with lots of experience. We know that we’re up against a big test. But these guys are hungry, so hopefully we can keep that momentum.”
Match 2: Sacramento Gold Roars Back to Overcome Three Goal Deficit to Oakland Stompers
There were plenty of goals at Destiny Christian Academy as Sacramento Gold FC earned a 6-3 win over the visiting Stompers.
Oakland jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first half, thanks to goals by Franco Martinez in the 8th and 22nd minute, bookmarked by a Sacramento own goal in the 13th minute.
But the host side roared back with six unanswered goals. It began with goals from Luis Cruz-Perez in the 34th minute and Robert Viera in the 37th minute to cut the halftime deficit to a single goal.
More goals for Sacramento in the second half, including Cruz-Perez’s second goal of the match in the 57th minute, Diego Negrete in the 65th minute, Ioan Muresan in the 78th minute, and Emmanuel Rey in the 89th minute.
Sacramento is now 1-1 on the season, having previously lost to Real San Jose. The Stompers are 0-3, with previous losses to San Leandro and El Farolito.
Match 3: California Odyssey SC Opens Its Season on a High Note
California Odyssey SC opened its season with a 2-1 win over Real San Jose at San Joaquin Memorial High School on Saturday night.
Goals by Eric Velarde in the 21st minute and Armando Meneses III in the 67th minute were enough to power them to victory, in spite of a late goal by Real San Jose’s Brians Tovar in the 87th minute.
Real San Jose falls to 1-2 on the season, with a win over Sacramento and a loss to Cruizers FC, which did not play this weekend. Cruizers’ record is currently 1-1, thanks to their previous loss to San Leandro.
