NPL Weekly: November 2-3 Recap
KEY MATCHES
U17 Boys NPL 1 North
Nevada United 3 – Heritage SC 1
Nevada Scorers: Ruiz Alvarez (3)
Heritage Scorer: Villegas
In a matchup between unbeaten sides, Nevada United proved to be the better team at a neutral site when facing Heritage SC this past weekend. Though a hat trick from Jesus Ruiz Alvarez, Nevada took a 3-0 lead over Heritage before a late penalty from Justin Villegas gave the defending State Cup champions life. Ultimately, though, United prevailed and improved to 5-0-0 on the season.
U16 Boys NPL 1 East
Placer United 2 – Union Sacramento 0
Placer Scorers: Summers, Martinez
Thanks to goals from Lucas Summers and Isaiah Martinez, Placer United continued their perfect season this past weekend, defeating local rivals Union Sacramento 2-0. By virtue of the victory, Placer remained on top of the table with four wins from four games while Union are currently on the outside looking in in terms of Champions League qualification and will need to garner points late in the season to qualify for the spring’s top division.
U16 Girls Champions League
PSV Union 7 – Palo Alto SC 2
PSV Scorers: Marin Valencia (5), Gutierrez (2)
In continuing their perfect season, PSV Union exploded for seven goals against Palo Alto SC, looking to make up points towards the top of the table while still having games in hand. The star on the day for PSV was U17 Mexico national team player Bridgette Marin Valencia, who bagged an astonishing five goals, while Gigi Gutierrez contributed a brace to what was a dominating performance overall.
U17 Girls NPL 1
Diablo FC 1 – Blackhawks SC 3
Blackhawks Scorers: Johnson, Villasenor, O’Brien
Diablo Scorer: Bramante
Coming into the match as the only unbeaten side in the U17 Girls NPL 1, Blackhawks SC initially faltered in their quest to go 5-0-0 on the season. Just 18 minutes into the match, Haley Bramante scored for hosts Diablo FC, who looked primed for an upset. But after regrouping during the break, Blackhawks scored three unanswered goals, with Tianna Johnson and Analise Villasenor scoring just after halftime before Nariyah O’Brien put the game away from the spot just before the final whistle.
