We got Matchweek 17 in the books in the NISA league with three matches completed. We originally had five matches on the schedule. However, Arizona Monsoon FC’s match against Capo FC was rescheduled to August 30, and Club de Lyon FC’s match over the weekend against the Michigan Stars FC was postponed. The LA Force had a midweek match against Capo FC and were victorious. The Force also got a huge win on Sunday against SoCal rivals Irvine Zeta FC to get their first win against them this season. The Maryland Bobcats FC continued their winning streak, defeating the Savannah Clovers FC. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s recap all the NISA action.
Capo FC 1 LA Force 2 (Wednesday August 14)
The LA Force remain unbeaten against Capo FC this season, securing a 2-1 win on the road last Wednesday at JSerra Stadium. Josue Cartagena puts the Force ahead in the 22nd minute to give LA a 1-0 lead. Later in the first half, Dylan Shockey capitalized on the rebound to get the equalizer for Capo FC, and were tied at one going into halftime. In the second half, we had to wait a bit before Dante Brigida slotted his shot past Capo FC goalkeeper Nate King to score the game-winner for the Force and claim a crucial three points to stay ahead of Irvine Zeta FC in the Western Conference. The Force are 2-0-1 against Capo FC this season and are on a 6-match unbeaten streak. Capo FC has now lost back-to-back matches, and their next match is on Wednesday, August 28, when they host Irvine Zeta FC.
Savannah Clovers FC 1 Maryland Bobcats FC 2 (Saturday August 17)
The Maryland Bobcats FC extended their winning streak to 11 matches in league play (14 including Independent Cup) across all NISA competitions with a 2-1 victory on the road against the Savanna Clovers FC on Saturday at Memorial Stadium and won it thrillingly. After a scoreless first half, all the drama was unveiled in the second half of this match. The Bobcats get a free-kick opportunity as Darwin Espinal sends this into the box. Clovers goalkeeper Jack Crichton makes the initial save but gives up a rebound, and Elijah Amo buries it to put the Bobcats in front in the 72nd minute. In the 81st minute, the Clovers got a corner kick chance, and Daniel De Leon went for the header and scored the equalizer and were tied 1-1. It looked like both teams would settle for a point, but Bobcats captain Josselin Possian had other ideas. Espinal connects with Possian, and he slots it past Clovers goalkeeper Crichton to seal the 2-1 win for the Bobcats and continue their impressive winning streak. They only need three more wins to tie former NISA club Chattanooga FC’s unbeaten streak record from last season, which was 17. The Bobcats will have a big test as it returns to the Plex to face the Michigan Stars FC for a midweek clash tonight. Meanwhile, the Clovers have been winless in their last five matches and will look to turn their season around with a road trip to face Club de Lyon FC on Saturday.
Irvine Zeta FC 0 LA Force 1 (Sunday August 18)
The LA Force got their second win of the week on the road at Championship Stadium with a 1-0 victory against Irvine Zeta FC on Sunday. Michael Salazar scored the lone goal in the 14th minute of this match to give LA their first win in the 405 Derby against their SoCal rivals. That goal was also Salazar’s seventh of the season. More importantly, this win gave LA a 7-point lead in the NISA Western Conference table over Irvine Zeta FC. This match was also chippy and intense, as you would expect in a rivalry match, but there were plenty of yellow cards and three red cards. Ivan Hernandez was sent off for LA Force, while Cristian Fernandes Mejia and Edson Alvarado were sent off in the second half for Irvine Zeta FC. The LA Force are 1-2-1 now against Zeta FC, and they’ll have one more meeting on September 15 before the NISA playoffs start in October. Next up for LA is a road trip to face Arizona Monsoon FC on Sunday, while Irvine Zeta FC will travel to JSerra Stadium next week to take on Capo FC for a midweek showdown in the OC Clasico.
That’s the latest recap I have on Matchweek 17. We got five matches this week, including a couple of midweek matchups tonight. Georgia FC hosts Club de Lyon FC while we have the battle in the east as the Maryland Bobcats FC host the Michigan Stars FC, who have been idle for a month. On Saturday, Club de Lyon FC faces the Savannah Clovers FC while the Michigan Stars FC takes on Georgia FC. On Sunday, Arizona Monsoon FC returns to action against the LA Force. It should be a good one in all these NISA matches. Stay tuned as I get another podcast episode or two that will be posted later this week.
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