FUEGO EARN FIRST LEAGUE WIN IN SHUTOUT OF SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES PDL TEAM
Energetic effort and lively crowd push team to their first win in league play
Fresno Fuego Goals | Tony Salciccia (27’), Kurt Bettencourt (90+’)
Earthquakes Goals | N/A
FRESNO, Calif. — The Fresno Fuego (1-2), a USL Premier Development League soccer team, defeated the San Jose Earthquakes PDL team by a score of 2-0 in front of 3,627 fans Friday night at Chukchansi Park.
The Fuego dictated the tempo of the match throughout, as their energetic approach appeared too tough for the Earthquakes to match.
“I kind of struggled to get fit with my ankle injury in the weeks prior, but today it was feeling better and coach gave me the role of captain, so I definitely had to step it up,” stated Cuevas about leading the high-energy attack. “With me playing professional soccer and coming back to the Fuego this year, the boys have looked up to me and I took the role on by being all over the field.”
The pressure on the Earthquakes finally led to a goal when Tony Salciccia flipped the ball over keeper Jesus Guzman for a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute. Salciccia took the feed from Cuevas, who moved around a defender to find Salciccia four feet into the Quakes box. Salciccia faced a one-on-one with the goalkeeper with defenders crashing in, but was able to maneuver the ball up and over for the first goal of the game.
San Jose picked up their energy after allowing the goal, but were constantly smothered by a stifling Fuego defense.
Fuego keeper Francisco “Poncho” Hernandez made the saves of the night in the 65th minute to preserve the 1-0 lead. A liner bounced off Hernandez, allowing San Jose to offer up a quick strike on the rebound, but the keeper deflected the ball with his feet to erase the threat to keep the Quakes off the scoreboard.
“Second half Hernandez stood on his head,” stated Fuego head coach Scott Alcorn. “He was phenomenal, but we see that in training all the time. We’re starting to make strides. I like where we’re at, I really do.”
A late Fresno substitution offered up a second goal when Kurt Bettencourt out hustled the San Jose defense in extra time to put a second goal in the back of the net.
Head Coach Scott Alcorn says the back-to-back wins, the first being over the Orange County Blues USL PRO team in the second round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, have done wonders for the team attitude.
“It’s big time,” he stated. “Hopefully we can get on a bit of a run here. The PDL is the most important thing, because the win gets us three points and puts us right back into the competition.”
The win sets them up with momentum as they travel to face Sacramento Republic (USL PRO) on Wednesday May 28th in the third round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, with the winner facing off against the San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) on June 11th.
“That [Sacramento Republic] game is a huge opportunity for our guys,” stated Alcorn. “It’s a chance to play the San Jose Earthquakes first team. With the professional teams, you just take it as an opportunity and you see where the chips fall at the end of the game. The PDL is what we’re after, but the US Open Cup is a fun environment for our guys to play in.”
The third round matchup will be played at Cosumnes River College-Hawks Stadium in Sacramento, California. First kick is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and general admission tickets are available for $10.
The stadium features a turf field; something the Fuego believes plays to their favor according to general manager Jeremy Schultz.
“On a turf surface the game is a little faster, but I think that works to the benefit of our team as we’re technical through the midfield and the pace of the game can work to our advantage. We’re excited about the opportunity to play on the turf there.”
The Fresno Fuego return to Chukchansi Park for PDL play on Friday, May 30th at 7:00 p.m. against the Orange County Blues (PDL). Gates to Chukchansi Park will open at 6:00 p.m. Visit FresnoFuego.com for more information.
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