Eastern Conference
AFC Mobile was able to pull into second place in the Eastern Conference on Saturday with a win 2-1 win over Hattiesburg FC at Archbishop Lipscomb Stadium in Alabama. The Azaleas fell behind early in the match after a free-kick from just outside the penalty area in the 8th minute was rebounded by James Cooper and chipped over the Mobile keeper, giving HFC an early 1-0 lead. In the 28th minute, Mobile’s Chisom Ogbonna was brought down right outside the box, leading to a free kick opportunity that Arad Lev-Ari rocketed right past the Hattiesburg keeper to equalize the game at 1-1. The scoreline would remain at 1-1 going into halftime. Shortly after the second half started, AFC took the lead with a goal from Sam Blackburn who slotted home the game winning goal from a tight angle in the 54th minute. The Azaleas created a couple more chances throughout the second half but couldn’t find the back of the net to extend their one goal lead. The last 15 minutes of the match was filled with fouls and slid tackles as Eddie Dakwa and Ogbonna were both shown yellow cards. Hattiesburg FC put a powerful shot on goal towards the end of the match but, it hit the post and the Azaleas managed to hang on and come away with a 2-1 victory.
In a game where both teams left everything they had on the field, the Gulf Coast Rangers fell short to Tallahassee SC at Fairhope Municipal Stadium on Saturday night in a score of 2-0. The match decided who would stay in first and second place in the Eastern Conference and who would fall. Since AFC Mobile was able to beat Hattiesburg FC, the Azeleas were guaranteed one of the two spots in the east. With that being said, playoff positioning was at stake for both teams during this matchup. In the first half, the Battle Lions took a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute after star player Boneco Brazil scored off an excellent strike that found the lower corner of the goal. The rest of the first half was a constant battle, but neither club was able to score before the halftime whistle. The second half was a similar story as Tallahassee SC was able to able to earn themselves another goal, extending their lead to 2-0. As much as the Rangers tried to make a comeback, they just couldn’t get things going offensively and ended up getting shut out by the Battle Lions at home. The win lifted the men from Tallahassee into first place and will keep their playoff hopes alive.
In a thrilling match that saw nine goals in ninety minutes, Port City FC made the trip to Ashton Brosnaham Stadium on Saturday night to play against Pensacola FC. The Sounders took no time easing into this one as Jordan Hall poked the ball past the 59ers keeper in just the 2nd minute after a pass from Ashton Leblanc, giving Port City a very early 1-0 lead. Only two minutes after the Sounders goal, in the 4th minute, the match was evened up at 1-1 with a Pensacola corner kick that was headed into the back of the net by Lyuboslav Vitanoz. Port City FC would fight back to regain the lead in the 10th minute when Caleb Counselman put one away off a deflected save from the 59ers keeper. Four minutes later, in the 14th minute, the match was tied up again after Gareth Green dribbled into the box and slotted the ball past the Sounders keeper to even things up at 2-2. The 2-2 tie would eventually be broken after Matthew Edwards found the back of the net in the 35th minute for the Sounders, giving Port City another one goal lead. However, Pensacola would catch a break in the 45th minute after the referee awarded them a penalty kick for a collision in the box. Gareth Green stepped up to the penalty shot and placed the ball out of the goalie’s reach, tying the game at 3-3 at halftime. Both teams were cautious at the start of the second half, but that would change in the 60th minute after Steven Gallagher sent in a beautiful cross that found the head of Kieran Robins who buried it into the back of the net for the Sounders. Kieran’s goal would put Port City up 4-3 and give them their third lead of the contest. Miraculously, the match was tied up yet again with a Pensacola goal in the 67th minute off a deflected through ball that found the feet of Andy Wentz who finished the ball past the Sounders keeper. The 59ers would finish the match in heroic fashion with a last minute goal in the 90th minute from Christopher Searcy, ending the match in a well deserved 5-4 win over Port City FC.
Central Conference
Over in the Central Conference, Motagua New Orleans faced off against the Mississippi Blues at Pan American Stadium on Saturday night. In this one sided matchup, Motagua New Orleans controlled the game from the opening whistle and didn’t take their foot off the gas throughout the entire match, defeating the Blue’s in a 9-0 clean sheet victory. The goal scoring, however, didn’t start for Motagua until the 35th minute of the first half when Nestor Peralta Jr. snuck the ball past the Blues keeper for the first goal of the contest. After the first goal was scored, the flood gates were opened and the goals started pouring into the back of the net for the squad from New Orleans. Nestor Peralta Jr. would add two more goals to the score sheet for Motagua before the first half ended and he would go on to score another goal in the 58th minute, giving Nestor his fourth goal of the match and New Orleans a 4-0 edge with thirty two minutes left to play. Motagua would continue to play hard throughout the second half, scoring five more goals before the match was officially over. Man of the match, Nestor Peralta Jr. scored the last goal of the match in the 86th minute, giving him his fifth goal of the game and Motagua New Orleans a perfect 9-0 defeat over the Mississippi Blues.
Attempting to salvage their losing record late in the season, Baton Rouge United headed East on Saturday to go head to head against FC New Orleans. The club from NOLA is still undefeated with four wins and three draws on the season while Baton Rouge United is in dead last with seven straight loses. The match saw little action in the first twenty-five minutes of play, but that would soon change as Roger Llergo would find the back of the net for New Orleans with a smooth one touch snipe in the 28th minute. FC New Orleans would continue to attack the goal in the first half and they would go on to score two more goals before the halftime whistle. Baton Rouge would also put one away before the first half was over with a goal from Zayne Zezulka in the 45th minute, cutting the New Orleans lead to 3-1 at halftime. At the start of the second half, Baton Rouge United was able to keep their offensive momentum going with a goal from David Barbera in the 57th minute, making it a close 3-2 game with 33 minutes left to play. Even though Baton Rouge United started to rally back, their offensive efforts were no match for FC New Orleans as Jesus Rivera Benitez dominated the second half with three straight goals in the last thirty minutes of the game. Roger Llergo also added another goal to the score sheet before the match was over, giving him his second goal of the game and FC New Orleans an easy 7-2 win.
Sitting in first place in the Central Conference, Northshore United ventured over to Freedom Ridge Park Stadium on Saturday to face off against the 2017 GCPL Champions, Gaffa FC. The game was evenly matched as neither side could come up with a goal in the first 89 minutes of play. The first half was a standstill with both teams playing some very solid defense. Most of the second half saw similar results until the 90th minute when Tom Cosgrove took the ball away from a Northshore defenseman at the top of the penalty box and ripped a shot past the United keeper, ending the match in superb fashion with a 1-0 upset home win for Gaffa FC.
Western Conference
The Alexandria Pool Boys extended their lead at the top of the Western Conference table on Wednesday night with a 1-0 win over Cajun SC at Wildcat Stadium. The game was off to a slow start with both sides calculating their offensive attacks early on, but as the match continued, Cajun SC was able to put a lot of shots and pressure on, Nathan Gautreau, the Pool Boys keeper. Nathan was resilient between the posts and was able to come up with some big saves for his club when they needed him most. All of Nathan’s saves would soon pay off as Dril Juno Mboungou broke the 0-0 tie with a shot on goal in the 45th minute that soared past the Cajun keeper, giving the Pool Boys a 1-0 lead going into the second half. Alexandria’s one goal lead would hold true for the rest of the match and they would go on to defeat the Cajun club in a 1-0 shutout victory.
Boca Knights FC managed to hold onto the second place spot in the Western Conference on Saturday night with a win over Central Texas Lobos. On their home pitch, at Bossier High School, the Knights put on a clinic against the Lobos as they put away five unanswered goals in regulation time, leading to a clean sheet 5-0 victory. The Boca scoring drive started in the 24th minute after a phenomenal goal from Quesi Weston. After Weston’s goal, the Knights offense began to slow down, but their energy would be reignited in the 42nd minute after a nice shot from Jevanni Hinkson that flew by the Lobos keeper. Two minutes later, in the 44th minute, Quesi Weston found the back of the net for a second time, extending the Knights lead to 3-0 before the end of the first half. In the opening minutes of the second half, the match went through another period of slow and possessive play but again picked up speed after David Martinez put one past the Central Texas keeper in the 77th minute. Ending the match on a high note, Alvaro Torres scored the fifth and final goal of the game for Boca in the 90th minute, securing the three points needed and a hard fought shutout victory.
Shreveport United forfeited their match against Louisiana Krewe.
