NorCal NPL Fall Showcase Recap: Day Two

NorCal NPL Fall Showcase Recap: Day Two
by Joshua Beeman
November 24, 2014

Modesto, California — Day Two of the NPL Norcal Fall Showcase came and went under much more favorable weather conditions than the previous day. The matches were mostly high scoring affairs; here are just some that TopDrawerSoccer.com attended.

(U16) Sacramento United Reds 98 5 – 0 CC Aztecs 98

Sacramento United Reds 98 rebounded from their 1-0 defeat on Day One with a 5-0 dismantling of CC Aztecs 98 on Sunday. A brace from winger Kalum Gillett highlighted the scoring, while Robert Moorhouse helped control the tempo from his holding midfield position.

Sacramento United’s Sebastian Santos did not wait long to open the scoring, pouncing on the rebound of his own shot to give his team the lead. The striker had some help from the Aztecs goalkeeper, who made a mess of the initial save and could not keep hold of the ball. Fullback Sean Alex scored in much the same way later for the final goal of the first half, putting in the rebound of his own shot.

It was more of the same in the second half, with Sacramento United controlling the proceedings.

Kalum Gillet scored his first goal of the day from the penalty spot when he sent the goalkeeper the wrong way, tucking the ball into the bottom corner of the net. He later added to his tally when he finished a headed pass from Santos to bring the Sacramento United lead to 4.

The final goal of the match came from winger Zak Sievers after he tucked home the rebound from Sebastian Santos’ shot, wrapping up a match that the Aztecs goalkeeper would surely like to forget.

(U19) Placer United 97 Gold 1 – 1 Marin FC 97 Blue

Familiar foes Placer United and Marin FC each got on the scoresheet in a tightly contested draw during Day 2. Both goals came in the second half, Placer United’s from forward Diego Buenrostro and Marin FC’s from midfielder Louis Stervinou.

The first half saw some quality play but few real scoring chances, the game being played mostly in the middle third of the field.

The second half got the scoring started quickly though, with Diego Buenrostro and midfielder Kristian Heptner capitalizing on a defensive error from Marin. Heptner won the ball in a dangerous area and provided the assist on Buenrostro’s goal.

Louis Stervinou found the equalizer with help from Noah Paravinci, who drove forward with the ball from midfield into the final third before finding Stervinou with a slip pass. Stervinou calmly finished the chance and salvaged a draw for his team.

(U17) PAC † San Jose 97 Indios 4 – 3 De Anza Force SC 97 Blue

It was a high scoring affair as PAC † San Jose 97 Indios and De Anza Force SC 97 Blue combined for a total of 7 goals. Forward Albert Munante’s brace was instrumental for the winning side.

De Anza Force’s Emir Softic kicked off the scoring with a tidy finish at the back post off of a Mason Derendinger cross from the right wing. Softic continued to be a nuisance for the opposition back four, pressuring well and orchestrating attacking moves.

PAC † San Jose’s Albert Munante answered back with a fantastic goal to equalize. He collected a long ball over the top of the defense, drove forward, and rifled a shot past the goalkeeper at the near post.

Zachary Faris gave De Anza Force the lead once again with one of the day’s better individual goals, receiving a throw in at the right touchline and skillfully taking the ball around two opponents before striking the ball near the top of the penalty area.

Munante came up huge for PAC † San Jose by finding another equalizer as he took control of the ball in the box after a corner kick and hit a shot off the post, past the goalkeeper, and into the net. The goal seemed to energize PAC † San Jose. They controlled the rest of the first half, narrowly missing a chance to take the lead going into the break.

The team continued to control the match in the second half, with goals from forward Gustavo Vargas and Salvador Rivera widening their lead. However, a second yellow card to Juan Cruz Vega left PAC † San Jose with only 10 men for the rest of the match and created an opening for De Anza Force to get the two goals they needed to salvage a draw.

In the end they were unable to take full advantage and were only able to get a single goal, scored by Kobe Carr.

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