Sunday May 10th, 2009
Salinas, CA
The Salinas Valley Samba kicked off its
2009 National Premier Soccer League season with a 2-1 victory over the
Southern Oregon Fuego at Watsonville High School on Sunday night.
Ismael Ibarra put the Samba on the board in the 11th minute with an
acrobatic goal that brought the crowd to its feet. In a race for a thru
ball from Samba midfielder Ivan Campos, Fuego goalkeeper Brook Johnson
came out of his box to beat Ibarra to the ball, but shanked his
clearance toward the left sideline. Ibarra chased down the bouncing
ball, spun around and whipped a left-footed shot from 40 yards that
snuck inside the left post ahead of the retreating goalkeeper. Four
minutes later Ibarra doubled the lead when he latched on to another ball
from Campos raced in alone on goal and beat Johnson one-on-one to the
right post.
In the second half the Samba gained a man advantage when a Fuego player
was ejected, but lost defender Peter González to a red card for a tackle
from behind. The Fuego finally broke through in the 86th minute with an
unassisted goal by Eddie Rudholz. Goalkeeper Jaime Rubio, who replaced
Ismael Cisneros at the 60th minute preserved the victory when he stopped
Uriel Castillo with a sliding block. Castillo then gave the Samba one
more scare with a header that bounced just wide of the left post.
Samba coach Mark Cisneros praised his team for establishing control of
the game and building an early lead. He also singled out Edwin Soto for
anchoring the defense and defender Noe Olivo for runs up the left flank
that supported the Samba attack.
Cisneros credited his opponents for clawing their way back in the game.
“When we were up a man, and we should have taken advantage, but we
didn’t put the game away. I think the Fuego did a better job of working
with the extra space on the field when we were playing 10 v 10. But
overall I’m delighted with a victory on opening night and we hope to
take this momentum into the next game.”
Next up for the Samba is a road match on Saturday against Real San Jose.
The Samba returns home on Sunday to host the Bay Area Ambassadors at
7:00 p.m.
Rick Crow, Salinas
Valley Samba
return to main |