FIVE SECOND HALF GOALS BY THE FUEGO IS THE DIFFERENCE IN A WIN OVER SoCAL
SoCal tied the game at one in the 48th minute, but Fresno responded with five unanswered goals
FRESNO, Calif. — The Fresno Fuego (3-3) climbed back to the .500 mark in the Premier Development League with a 6-1 win over the SoCal Seahorses (0-4-1) Saturday night at Chukchansi Park. Gustavo Silva recorded a hat trick, becoming the second Fuego player in two games to accomplish the feat (other, Paul Islas vs. BYU Cougars).
The hat trick was the first by Silva in a Fuego uniform and his first since knocking in three goals during a regional game for Fresno Pacific.
He scored his first on a set play in the 21st minute to give the Fuego a 1-0 lead. Cuevas, who collected three assists on Thursday in a win over BYU, fed a streaking Silva, who took two steps and fired one past the keeper. The goal completed a 10-minute stretch where the Fuego pressured the Seahorses routinely, barely yielding possession.
The Seahorses eventually turned the tide back in their favor when Geoffrey Bowman headed in a goal off an assist from Jonathan Clark three minutes into the second half, tying the game at one.
However, the momentum shifted quickly back to the Fuego as they would string together five unanswered goals the rest of the way. Omar Santoyo scored the go-ahead goal in the 53rd minute off an assist from Abraham Campos.
Gustavo Silva punched in his second goal on an assist from Santoyo in the 55th minute to make it 3-1, and then completed the hat trick when he hammered in a shot from the right side in the 77th minute off a pass from Jonathan Colunga.
Abraham Campos (64’) and Kurtis Bettencourt (81’) also collected second half goals for Fresno.
Jose Cuevas recorded two assists, giving him five in his last two games, and league-leading six overall on the season.
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