It was another busy weekend for the NPSL on the West Coast. Friday’s only match featured two teams from San Diego facing off in what should be a great series throughout the season.
The first game of the San Diego Derby finished with the Flash as victors with a 3-1 win over Boca FC. The Flash were led by a strong defensive effort from Tim Roty and a barrage of goals from Daniel Ortega, Eric Lafon, and Lee Underwood.
Boca’s potent offensive attack was limited to just one goal from David Luquen. It was the first match of the NPSL regular season for both sides. The two sides will meet again on Saturday, May 18 at Del Norte HS.
Saturday featured three great matchups.
FC Hasental welcomed Las Vegas Stallions FC into the NPSL with a 13-0 rout. A hat trick from Armando Gaitan and a pair of goals from both Ruben Rodriguez and Lucian Leu paced the home team, which finished with one of the highest scores in league history. Las Vegas hopes to bounce back against FC Santa Clarita Storm on April 13. FC Hasental is also representing the league in the U.S. Open Cup.
Sacramento Gold was also victorious, shutting out CD Aguiluchos USA with a 3-0 scoreline. Abraham Prado, Max Alvarez, and Eliot Chambers all scored for the Gold, which has already booked its own spot in the U.S. Open Cup.
Real San Jose continued their winning ways, defeating San Francisco Stompers FC 5-1. The Stompers now face CD Aguiluchos USA on Saturday, April 13. RSJ midfielder Jesse Kehoe continued to be a nightmare for opposing defenses, scoring what would be his third goal in just two games.
Sunday’s matchup between Orange County and Santa Clarita rounded out the weekend action. The Orange County Pateadores Football Club, opened the 2013 season in the NPSL this Sunday at home by beating FC Santa Clarita Storm 2-0 at Vanguard University Field in Costa Mesa, California.
Former Cuban National Team player Maykel Galindo opened the scoring in the 67th minute via a penalty kick and Jesus Flores scored the second goal of the match in the 74th minute.
The first half of the match ended in a scoreless tie after few scoring opportunities from both sides. In the second half, both teams substituted players, but it was Galindo, who made the first impact in a breakaway that ended in a tackle from behind for a penalty call.
The Storm players complained about the referee’s decision to no avail, while Galindo himself took the shot scoring to the upper left hand corner of the Storm’s net.
There was little dispute regarding the second goal, as Flores took a diagonal pass to the center of the field and into the left side of the box, scoring with a powerful left-footed strike. Coached by Salvador Moran, the Pateadores are now running on a 5-game winning streak, including preseason and non-league games. The Pats will again play at home in Week 2 before traveling to Cal-Lutheran Mount Clef Stadium for the third game of the season.
The NPSL National Player of the Week will be announced Friday, April 12.
