A GREAT MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND FOR NPSL SOCCER

Midwest Region

AFC Cleveland emerged victorious from their home opener, defeating the Cincinnati Saints 5-2.  The Royals were buoyed by strong performances from Smart Osadolar and Antonio Manfut.  Both players are newcomers with Osadolar joining from Zanesville Athletic and Manfut coming back to his hometown after a successful season in the MISL with the Syracuse Silver Knights.

West Region

The San Diego Flash fought to a 2-1 win at FC Hasental. Both Flash goals were scored by Brandon Zuniga.

FC Force came away with a 6-2 win over FC Santa Clarita Storm.

South Region

The Fort Worth Vaqueros had a rollercoaster of a weekend in the South Central Conference.  Oklahoma City FC knocked off Fort Worth 2-1 Friday night in Oklahoma City. The Vaqueros picked up a second half goal from Damien Rosales off a Hilton Ngwa assist in the 55th minute.  However, the comeback effort was stunted when the referee issued a second yellow card to Tyler Humphrey in the 62nd minute, leaving Fort Worth shorthanded for nearly 30 minutes. Oklahoma City FC picked up a pair of first half goals from Stephen Cummins and Kevon Cabello.

Saturday was the same result as Fort Worth fell 2-1 on the road to the Joplin Demize. A mere three minutes of sloppy play doomed the Vaqueros. The Demize took the early lead with a pair of goals in a three-minute span. Vaqueros midfielder Hilton Ngwa scored the lone goal with a penalty kick in the 70th minute.

Corinthians FC of San Antonio came away with a massive win and a flurry of goals in their home opener Friday night. Johnny Lawson scored the historic first NPSL goal at Toyota Field in the second minute before a boisterous crowd of 758 fans enjoyed three goals from Horacio “Lacho” Leal.

“We were a little unsure of how this first game would look and play out,” explained CFC SA head coach Jon Burklo. “I think the support we had today from the number of fans that came out and to play at this fantastic stadium created a fantastic atmosphere.”

The Myrtle Beach Mutiny visited the Carolina Railhawks U-23s on Sunday and came away with a 1-1 draw.  Ramzey Hassen scored for the Mutiny, while Robbie Lovejoy added a single goal for the Railhawks.

Northeast Region

Chesterfield United goalkeeper Danny Free kept things close with the U-23 side for D.C. United, but the Black-and-Red finished with three points from a 1-0 victory.