MBFC2 Maintains Perfect Record in First Match at Cardinale Stadium, Top San Francisco Glens SC 1-0
by Eli Corona
SEASIDE, California (Sunday, May 21, 2023) – Monterey Bay F.C. 2 (4-0-0, 12 points) defeated division rivals San Francisco Glens SC (2-1-0, 6 points) 1-0 in the development club’s first match at Cardinale Stadium to remain undefeated on the campaign. 19-year-old Santa Cruz native and current member of CSUMB Men’s Soccer, Francisco Ponce opened his MBFC2 account with a game-winning, first-half header.
Yet again, MBFC2 flew out of the blocks on Sunday night at Cardinale Stadium. A 2nd minute chance for Ponce set the tone for the match, and although his header from a corner was just wide, it was an ominous sign for the San Francisco Glens SC defense. The visitors struggled to cope with the defensive pressure from Los Dos, leading to further chances for the home side. In the seventh minute, Kevin Salto would announce himself in the match, latching on to a deflected touch from Willy Miranda during a counterattack and firing just wide of the near post. The defender would cause problems on the right flank the whole night, and just two minutes later, he exhibited his intelligent dribbling by touching the ball past his man and using his pace to get into space in the final third. His cutback to Miranda set up another good chance, but the shot flew just wide of the near post.
MBFC2 excelled defensively throughout the match. By the eleventh minute, defender Alexis Sanchez had already recorded four clearances. While the Glens were able to get the ball into the final third, they struggled to find a way past a rock solid defense. With nineteen minutes gone, Salto created yet another chance, once again for Miranda, whose tight angle shot flew across the face of goal before being collected by the Glens defense. Just moments after, the Glens had their best chance of the night as they flew forward on a counterattack, thwarted only by onrushing goalkeeper Erik Lauta, who came off his line and closed down the Glens player just in time to block their shot. The breakthrough would come for MBFC2 in the 22nd minute, as a foul by the visitors gave Miguel Guerrero a chance for a set piece near the edge of the area. The midfielder put in a high looping cross, finding the head of Ponce who was in space in the area. The Santa Cruz native headed home the cross, his first goal scored for the club and the first goal for MBFC2 at Cardinale Stadium, to give Los Dos the 1-0 lead.
Ramiro Corrales Jr. would be booked with a yellow card in the 30th minute, but the ensuing set piece was cleared yet again by the impenetrable MBFC2 defense. Seven minutes later, Sanchez found himself with time on the ball and drove forward into space, bursting past one Glens player and feeding the ball into space past another for Miranda. The forward took the space afforded to him but was unlucky to have his shot charged down by a Glens defender and blocked. The last shot of the half fell to Jose Madrigal, who nearly doubled MBFC2’s advantage but saw his shot fly just wide of the right post.
After halftime, both teams settled into the match and maintained more possession of the ball. Regardless, MBFC2 continued to show their quality and fashioned another chance in the 51st minute, thanks to Guerrero’s skillful dribbling. The number five received a pass near the top of the 18-yard box and wove his way to the byline, beating multiple defenders with his combination of acceleration and ball control. His shot from a tight angle was parried by the Glens goalkeeper, and the danger was averted yet again. The San Francisco Glens would test the MBFC2 net in the 55th minute, as a high ball perhaps intended as a cross looped towards the top corner. Lauta was alert once again, and reacted quickly to reach up and parry the ball out of play.
A double substitution in the 58th minute saw Tamba DiMattia and Issac Lomeli make their MBFC2 debuts, coming on for Madrigal and Miranda respectively. About ten minutes later, Corrales made space for himself on the left and put a cross into Salto at the back post. Salto then touched the ball into the center of the area with an aerial pass intended for Hugo Vargas. The captain positioned himself well to receive the pass, but was quickly pressured by the Glens defense and was just out of reach for the shot. In the final five minutes, the Glens increased the pressure as they looked for an equalizer. The MBFC2 defense held strong, however, only allowing one good chance in the 86th minute. The attacking Glens player created space for a shot from the top of the 18. His shot looked destined for goal only to be denied again by Lauta, who leapt up to catch the shot for another save.
The final moments of tension made for an exciting ending at Cardinale Stadium, as the home crowd witnessed yet another victory for Los Dos, their fourth consecutive win to start the campaign, bringing their record to 4-0-0 on the year. With the victory, Los Dos are now the sole unbeaten team in the USL League Two NorCal division. Next up, MBFC2 will prepare for a road trip to face Marin FC Legends on June 11.
Match: MBFC2 vs San Francisco Glens SC
Date: May 21, 2023
Venue: Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Weather: Cloudy and 56 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
MBFC2 1 0 1
SF Glens SC 0 0 0
MB2: Fransisco Ponce (Miguel Guerrero) 22’
