MONTEREY BAY ADVANCES TO ROUND OF 32 IN 2024 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP BEHIND BRACE FROM SALINAS’ JERRY AYON

SEASIDE, California (Wednesday, April 17, 2024) – Monterey Bay F.C. (3-1-2, 11 points) advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 2-1 win over NISA side Irvine Zeta FC at Cardinale Stadium, presented by Ivan’s Baked Potatoes. After signing with the Club on Monday, Salinas native Jerry Ayon earned the start and recorded a game-winning brace in his debut match donning the Crisp and Kelp.

Monterey Bay began applying pressure on goal from the second the opening whistle was blown. Two minutes into the match, Chuy Enríquez cut across the box to the right and fired a shot on goal, but it was saved at the bottom left corner. A few minutes later, Michael Gonzalez whipped a ball into a dangerous area inside the six-yard box, but the cross missed Luther Archimède’s head by mere inches. In the 17th minute, Walmer Martínez sent another ball into the box toward Archimède, but his header was saved by the goalkeeper. Four minutes later, Gonzalez rose up to connect on the end of a corner kick, but his header bounced off the far post and out. Monterey Bay finally broke through in the 32nd minute. Rafa Baca drove into the left side of the box and flipped the ball up and into the six as he neared the endline. Sprinting forward with purpose, Ayon positioned himself well to get onto the end of the pass and with his head, buried it into the top netting to give the Crisp-and-Kelp the one goal lead at the halftime break.

Irvine Zeta FC leveled the match a quarter of an hour into the second half with a goal from George Almeida to bring the score to 1-1, but Monterey Bay F.C. remained unphased and retook the lead just moments later. In the 65th minute, Enríquez pinged a long-ball to Ayon making a run down the left sideline. Ayon cut inside with the ball and let go on a shot from just outside the box that beat the goalkeeper to give Monterey Bay back the lead at 2-1. In the 77th minute, Archimède looked to have his first in goal Crisp-and-Kelp when he fired a right-footed laser from just inside the box, but it was cleared off the line with a last-ditch kick by an Irvine Zeta FC defender. Monterey Bay came close to adding a third on two additional occasions. In the 83rd minute, Morey Doner tracked down a long ball from Mobi Fehr on the right side before making a defender miss at the endline and firing a grassburner across the six-yard box, but with defenders surrounding the area, Adrian Rebollar was unable to make solid contact and Irvine managed to clear. Then in the dying moments of the match, Ryan Dieter took a chance at goal, but his curling effort missed just wide of the far post and the match ended 2-1 in favor of the hosts.

Up Next

Monterey Bay F.C. hits the road for a trip to Tennessee to take on Western Conference newcomers, Memphis 910 FC. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. PT at AutoZone Park. Live streaming of the match will be available on ESPN+.

Additional Notes

Starting in his debut after officially signing with the Club on Monday, Jerry Ayon scored his first two goals as a member of the Crisp-and-Kelp. He opened the scoring in the 32nd and then bagged the game-winner in the 65th.

Information

Date: April 17, 2024
Venue: Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Weather: Clear and 57 degrees

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F

Monterey Bay F.C. 1 1 2
Irvine Zeta FC 0 1 1
MB: Jerry Ayon (Rafa Baca) 32’
IZ: George Almeida (Edson Alvarado) 62’
MB: Jerry Ayon (Chuy Enríquez) 65’