The Golden Lions and Lionesses each took home three points against the Oakland Stompers and Napa Valley 1839 FC, respectively, in Saturday’s doubleheader at Playfields.
The Lions kicked off the action with a 2-1 victory, closing out their regular season on a high note. Davis dominated the opening minutes, playing the game almost exclusively in the Stompers’ half. The breakthrough finally came in the 30th minute after a weaving run and incisive pass from Alec Sundly found Lions’ forward Nick Gasol in a pocket of space. Gasol made no mistake, rifling home the opener past a helpless Oakland keeper.
The Stompers fought back, however, and found an equalizer mere moments later. Despite sustained pressure from FC Davis, the score remained level at 1-1 heading into halftime.
Following the intermission, Davis continued to look the more dangerous side.
The Stompers held on until the 70th minute, when Aaron Schten slotted home the go-ahead goal off a pass from Noah Wilson, securing the victory and providing the Golden Lions vital momentum as they begin their playoff run.
In the evening match, the Golden Lionesses continued their unbeaten streak at home, smashing Napa Valley 3-0. FC Davis didn’t wait long to start the scoring, taking the lead in only the 3rd minute when a long throw by Alana Curtis fell to Ariana Coronado, who neatly tucked away the opener for 1-0.
The Lionesses continued their domination in the second half, doubling their lead 10 minutes in off a long-range effort by Julia Curtis.
With under ten minutes to play, Napa’s hopes of getting back into the game were dashed when Davis’ Isabella Vinsonhaler cleared off the line what would have been a certain goal. Julia Curtis then put the game away with her second goal of the night only two minutes later, giving the Lionesses an emphatic 3-0 victory.
The Golden Lions will look to replicate Saturday’s win in the conference quarterfinals where they’ll face Napa Valley 1839 this Saturday night, 7:00pm in Napa. Off the back of their victory, the Golden Lionesses will seek to maintain their spotless home record when they play Marin FC this Wednesday night, 7:00 pm at Playfields.
By Dylan Ehlers