It was a busy Easter weekend in the NPSL with two regular season matches to kick off the regular season and a U.S. Open Cup qualifier.
Sonoma County midfielder Chris Daly landed a brace as the Sol (1W-0L-0D) defeated the Sacramento Gold 4-1. Ross Middlemiss and Pedro Guevara each added a goal for the home team, while Manolo Pina scored the lone goal for the visiting Gold (0W-1L-0D).
But all was not lost for the Gold, a team who already claimed a place in the U.S. Open Cup. Sacramento will be joined in the Open Cup by seven other NPSL teams, including fellow California side FC Hasental.
Saturday night saw FC Hasental push past the San Diego Flash 2-0 to earn a spot in one of America’s oldest sporting competitions. FC Hasental saw goals from Armando Gaitan and Gustavo Villalobos in the first half, scores that led them past a tough Flash squad.
CD Aguiluchos USA (0W-1L-0D) fell 2-0 to Real San Jose in their debut match. The Oakland, CA team has been the subject of much press thanks to a famous coach in Hugo Coria and high-profile connections in Latin America. It was not the start the home side wished for, but there are many more regular season matches ahead. San Jose (1W-0L-0D) now turn their attention to a match against the San Francisco Stompers on April 6.
U.S. Open Cup Qualifiers
FC Hasental 2, San Diego Flash 0 F
NPSL Regular Season Play
Sonoma County Sol 4, Sacramento Gold 1 F
Real San Jose 2, CD Aguiluchos USA 0 F
