Albion San Diego lost 1-0 in the NISA final to the Michigan Stars on Sunday at Romeo Stadium in Michigan thanks to a 30th-minute goal headed in by defender Anthony Bowie off a perfectly executed corner kick from teammate Steven Juncaj. Exactly as they did in the semifinal match against Chattanooga FC, the Stars took advantage of their tight defense to prevent the opponent from creating clear scoring chances to come up with the tying goal.
Albion San Diego did its best to push the tempo in the second half but was unable to break the Michigan defensive front. The last chance to send the game into extra time came on the final play when midfielder Pablo Pelaez executed a corner kick that saw goalkeeper Ben Roach come in to help create a scoring opportunity. The Stars defense was up to the task once again deflecting the ball out of danger with the referee blowing the whistle immediately after to give the team from Michigan the title.
Despite the loss, the team led by head coach Ziggy Korytoski, was able to make it to the championship match in its NISA rookie season defeating the regular season number one seeded Cal United Strikers in the semifinal round.
Arenal de Gomez FC came back in dramatic fashion to win its sixth straight UPSL match 3-2 over Chula Vista FC at San Diego Mesa College on Saturday thanks to a hat trick from forward Cesar Romero. Romero scored all of his goals in the final 20 minutes of the game after Chula Vista had taken a 2-0 lead early in the second half despite the fact that ADG FC had created most of the scoring chances up to that point. The victory solidifies ADG FC as the top team in the So Cal South Premier Conference ahead of second place Murrieta Soccer Academy with two remaining matches in the regular season against City SC Temecula on the road Nov. 12 and Escondido FC at home on Nov. 20.
The San Diego Mesa College men’s and women’s teams came out winners on Friday in front of the home fans as they prepare to close out their respective regular seasons. The men defeated City College 2-1 with goals from forward Jake Hoffman in the 49th minute and Eduardo Gonzalez in the 85th minute. City College scored its lone goal in the 87th minute but was unable to score another despite having the first clear chance to take the lead in the 20th minute on a penalty kick that Mesa College goalkeeper CJ Pallach was able to block. The team, led by head coach Ray Taila, now finishes the regular season with a home game against Cuyamaca College on Nov. 8 and a road match versus Southwestern College on Nov. 11.
“We played really well and created a lot of chances,” said Taila. “I felt we could have scored a couple of more goals but we used a new formation. I was happy how the guys adjusted to the new formation and our goalkeeper came up with a huge save early in the game which helped change the momentum in our favor.”
The men’s victory over City College came immediately after the Mesa College women’s team defeated Palomar College 4-0 thanks to a brace from midfielder Audrey Reed along with goals from forward Charlotte Taila and midfielder Catalina Griffiths.
The women’s team currently sits in third place in its conference with a 10-6-1 record (9-3 in conference) with two regular season matches remaining.
“We played well and got the result,” said Mesa College women’s head coach Melissa Warner. “Every match we get better, they learn to play with each other more effectively and you can see that in the results we have had in our last few matches. I think our biggest area for growth is in the final third, and while we could execute more efficiently in the final third, overall we had a solid performance on both sides of the ball on Friday against Palomar.”
The team’s final two games are Nov. 8 against conference leader Southwestern College followed by a home game against Grossmont College on Nov. 11.
Hector Trujillo has been covering soccer starting with the San Diego State University men’s soccer team in 2003 for The Daily Aztec. A graduate of SDSU where he received his B.A. and M.A. degrees, Trujillo has a lifelong passion for playing and writing about the beautiful game.
Albion photos by David Frerker. ADG FC photos by Luzrayito Reynoso.
