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National Premier League

NPL Weekly: October 5-6 Recap

With October now upon us, most teams participating in the NPL have gotten to the halfway of their fall seasons. Just over a month remains until the 2019 Fall NPL College Showcase, where the action will come down to the wire to see which teams on the boys side qualify for the Champions League and which teams on the girls side head into the winter break in a good position. Here are your game of the week recaps:

NPL SCHEDULES AND RESULTS


NPL MATCHDAY

U16 Boys NPL 1 West

MVLA 1 – MCS ECFC United 3

ECFC Scorers: Ibarra, Esparza-Pasos, Hernandez-Leon
MVLA Scorer: Alvarado

Both coming into the match unbeaten, MCS ECFC United and MVLA battled in a hard-fought match featuring several chances from each team in an eventual 3-1 MCS comeback victory. Just 18 minutes into the match, MVLA’s Daniel Alvarado gave the hosts the lead, cooly finishing into the bottom left corner with the inside of his right foot from 16 yards out. But just after the break, United’s Alejandro Ibarra leveled the match with a close-range shot with the outside of his foot before a header from Christopher Esparza-Pasos gave the visitors the lead for the first time of the day just a few minutes later. While MVLA pressed forward in an attempt to find an equalizer, MCS scored yet again four minutes from time, this time on an open-goal tap in from Kevin Hernandez-Leon to secure the victory.


KEY MATCHES

U19 Boys NPL 1 East

Turlock Academica Jrs 2 – Mavericks Black 3

Mavericks Scorers: Wyatt, Kossa-Rienzi, Afra
Turlock Scorer: Hernandez, Lopez

In a back-and-forth match between teams tied at the top of the table, Turlock Academica Jrs scored first against Mavericks Black, but ultimately fell via a 3-2 scoreline. Diego Hernandez opened the scoring for the hosts in just the eighth minute of the game before Mazi Wyatt responded nine minutes later to equalize the scoreline. Turlock again took the lead in the 24th minute on a strike from Felipe Lopez, but the Mavericks simply wouldn’t lay down scoring on a goal from Kalani Kossa-Rienzi just before the break before ultimately winning it late after Jaden Afra hit the back of the net.


U19 Girls Champions League

West Valley Vision 2 – Players North 1

West Valley Scorer: Neunfinger (2)
Players Scorer: Moss

With both West Valley Vision and Players North needing points to get back into the U19 Girls Champions League race, hosts Vision set the tone, scoring a pair of goals early to begin what would ultimately be a 2-1 victory. The star of the match was Vision’s Svea Neunfinger, who scored off of a set piece 11 minutes into the game before doubling her side’s lead in the 34th minute. Though Players North desperately sent numbers forward in hopes of finding at least getting on the scoreboard, the Nevada club couldn’t find the back of the net until nearly the last kick of the game, where Carly Moss scored from the spot to make it 2-1.


U16 Girls NPL 1

Manteca FC 0 – Folsom Lake Earthquakes 2

Folsom Scorer: Marsh (2)

With both hosts Manteca FC and the Folsom Lake Earthquakes coming into this match unbeaten, something had to give in this vital NPL 1 contest. And with goals on either side of halftime from Gabriella Marsh, Folsom Lake moved to the top of the table at the expense of Manteca, who put up a good fight, but ultimately couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net.