NPL Matchday #4 Recap
We’re nearly halfway through the NPL Spring Season and now more than ever, points are at a premium. Just more than a month remains before divisions will be decided at the NPL College Showcase in May. Who will be among those vying for the title in front of more than 100 college coaches?
Here are your NPL games of the week:
U19 Girls ECNL Regional League
MVLA 0 – FC Bay Area Surf 7
Goalscorers:
Surf: Piper (3), Halladay (2), Moodie, Saunicheva
In what was a contest between two top four teams in the U19 Girls ECNL Regional League, FC Bay Area Surf bolstered their title chances by beating MVLA 7-0 on the road and moving into a tie for first place as a result. Thanks to a hat trick from Elle Piper, a brace from Jessica Halladay, and solitary strikes from Talei Moodie and Julia Saunicheva, Surf have now picked up the maximum 12 points from four games and are now the favorites to claim the league title.
U19 Boys Champions League
Monterey County Soccer 1 – California Odyssey (Aguilera) 0
In a division in which every single team in the table has dropped points on at least one occasion, first place California Odyssey travels to third place Monterey County Soccer this weekend with the winner almost assured to end the weekend on top of the table. Currently California Odyssey have eight points from four games, while Monterey County Soccer have collected seven from the same amount of matches.
U16 Girls ECNL Regional League
Rocklin FC 0 – FC Bay Area Surf 1
Currently four teams sit tied for first place with six points in the U16 Girls ECNL Regional League: Mustang SC, Palo Alto SC, FC Bay Area Surf, and West Coast Soccer and all but Palo Alto have done this without dropping a result yet. So while it’s tight at the top, a full slate of games this weekend should ensure that someone separates themselves from the pack. However, there’s another candidate to join that group of teams: Rocklin FC. The fall NPL 1 East runners-up have yet to play a league game and could move to within three points of first place with a win.
U17 Boys Champions League
IR Academy 5 – California Odyssey (Aguirre) 2
Goalscorers:
IR: Harkins (2), Vidrio, Barajas, Navarro
California: Lopez, Ybarra
In a matchup between two teams near the top of the table, IR Academy came out to a quick 3-0 lead against California Odyssey, who sat one spot ahead of them in the table heading into the match. Goals from Harlee Vidrio, Anthony Barajas, and Miguel Navarro had the Odyssey reeling early. But despite the tough windy conditions, the Fresno-based club raced back into the game with goals from Bryan Lopez and Brandon Ybarra in the 70th and 75th minutes, respectfully. However, the visitors wouldn’t complete their comeback after Charlie Harkins scored a late brace to ensure that IR would come out of the weekend just one point behind first-place San Jose Surf, who they face next weekend.