WEEKEND RECAP: GOALS GALORE IN WEST REGION

There were a lot of goals scored in the West Region this weekend, 22 to be exact.  Simply put, it was two days of exciting soccer for fans and supporters to enjoy.

On Saturday evening in Simi Vally, CA, the San Diego Flash upended FC Hasental, 2-1, in dramatic fashion with the game-winner by Brennan Tennelle coming in the 88th minute of play, stunning the Hasental faithful.

Both teams exchanged chances throughout, but it was Flash defender Duach Jock that first found the back of the net in the 43rd off of a corner kick. The game stayed that way until late when FCH centerback Juan Valladolid converted a penalty in the 80th minute, only to succumb to the winner with two minutes remaining.

“We know Hasental are a great team so we actually came out a bit defensively,” Tennelle commented. “We knew it would be tough.”

When asked about his game-winning goal, Tennelle added, “I practice that often in training, but don’t usually convert. This time I closed my eyes and hoped for the best.”

Portland Spartans and SF Stompers each had two games in as many games and it was mixed results for both.

Saturday’s match ended in a 3-0 victory for the Spartans over San Francisco behind goals from Christian Desir, Oswin Williams, and Gerardo Marin.

“We really didn’t know what to expect from SF Stompers and there were quite a few opportunities for them to tie the game, but we kept driving to goal,” Spartans FC head coach Victor Garcette stated.  “We have been fortunate to play some tough teams to get prepared for these games and I feel this has really helped our guys rise to the level of the California teams this year.”

On Sunday Spartans FC then fell 5-1 to the visiting CD Aguiluchos USA, which was buoyed by four goals from forward Simon Rawnsley.

Stompers faced a similar fate on Sunday, losing to FC Tacoma 253 by a 3-1 margin. Colin Dalrymple, Gareth Vaughn, and Matt Shaxton each scored goals for the home side, while Ugo Uche tallied the lone score for San Francisco.

“We played a great game against FC Tacoma 253,” Stompers head coach Martin Sierra said.  “They gave it all to win; we can’t take anything from them. But it was a hard fought game, we came, we did what we could.  We didn’t execute like we should have had, but we’ll see them again in a week.  Hopefully it’s a different outcome.”

Sunday saw another high-scoring match with Deportivo Coras USA defeating Temecula FC 6-0.  Mingyu Wee scored a brace with Cristian Zamora, Fernando Cabello, James Ross, and Shane Shelton each adding a single tally apiece.

“Great team performance tonight from the guys,” Deportivo Coras USA head coach David Trevino. “We were not only lethal in attack, but also rock solid at the back. Overall pleased with the result as well as another clean sheet.”