It took awhile for the goals to come, but Nikolai Littleton’s hat trick enabled Inter San Francisco to earn a 5-0 win over Davis Legacy in the third round of U.S. Open Cup qualifying in San Francisco on Sunday night.
The kickoff was delayed for nearly half an hour while the referee waited to see if enough Davis players were available to play the match. Eventually nine players made their way to the Beach Chalet to take on the host side. And Davis was eventually reduced to an eight man side when Kennedy Chongo had to leave the match at the 34th minute mark with an apparent fracture to one of his fingers.
Inter dominated possession from the opening kickoff, keeping constant pressure on the Davis defense. But Davis was able to keep them off the scoreboard in the first half thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Anthony Gonzalez Cruz, who made several diving stops.
One of his best saves came on a corner kick in the 14th minute. Littleton’s header was on target and headed for the far post, but Gonzalez Cruz was able to guide it away from danger. Less than a minute later, Dylan Autran tried to beat him at the near post, but Gonzalez Cruz held on.
Shot selection was an issue for Inter in the first half, as they often settled for low percentage attempts from beyond the penalty area. They were also unlucky in the 22nd minute, when Littleton’s shot from beyond the penalty area hit the crossbar and bounced high in the air, enabling Gonzalez Cruz to smother it.
In the 37th minute, Matt Fondy was open at the edge of the six-yard box, but his header landed right at Gonzalez Cruz’s feet.
The Goals Finally Arrive in the Second Half
The host side came out with more confidence in the second half, re-establishing its short passing game as the visitors began to tire from the stress of constantly defending.
The first goal came in the 54th minute, when Javier Rivera Hernandez cut to his left and took a low shot that deflected off of Gonzalez Cruz’s leg and into the back of the net.
Four minutes later, Littleton grabbed a loose ball at the edge of the box and blasted a shot that tucked inside the left post.
Davis’s bad luck continued, as they were temporarily reduced to 7 men when Anthony Grant had to miss several minutes of action with an apparent foot injury.
And the goals kept coming. In the 75th minute, Leonardo Alfonso Lazaro Amado dribbled into the box and laid the ball off to Littleton who blasted a one-timer inside the right post.
Littleton completed the hat trick in the 82nd minute. Kevin Avedian dished the ball off to him as he made his run along the right side and his shot beat Gonzalez Cruz at the near post.
Fondy closed out the scoring with a similar goal in the 85th minute, including an assist from Avedian. His low, hard shot skidded along the ground and beat Gonzalez Cruz at the near post.
What Comes Next
Inter is now one win away from qualifying for the tournament proper, which begins in March 2023. They have won their first three qualifying matches by a combined margin of 14-0.
The fourth and final round of qualifying will be played the weekend of December 17-18, with opponent and location to be announced later this week.
