Future FC Finish Season Undefeated after Blanking Lobos
11.07.2022
On Sunday, Future FC gets 3 points with two goals against Lobos to take 1st place in the UPSL W SoCal conference.
Pre-game
In their first season encounter after Lobos forfeited the first match on Saturday, both teams were on different ends of the table. Future FC was placed first in the table with eight wins and a draw, scoring 39 goals and only allowing three so far. They came off a four-game winning streak (including the forfeited game by Lobos on Saturday) and were looking to end the regular season on a high before the postseason. For Lobos, they wanted to break their three-game losing streak, with their last win going back to June 19th against Wolves. They were near the bottom of the table with a 2-1-4 record, scoring 11 and allowing 20.
Game Recap
On a hot, breezy day in Santiago, High school in Corona, Ca, the match starts as Future FC hosts Lobos. The home team was slow to start the game while Lobos was confident in pressuring behind Future Fc's lines. The away team were compact, defending the midfield and narrowing futures pathway for short passes. When the hosts got shut down trying to go forward, they reset going wide while Lobos would drive up the gut for a counterattack with their confident 1-2 passes.
A good 20 mins of the first half saw the ball on the right side of the field as Future FC tried to find some chemistry to break through Lobos's final third. The away team played the patient game, not holding possession for a long time and capitalizing on FFC turnovers or interceptions. Towards the end of the half, FFC were finding their grove using ping lob passes to get set up for shots as they ended the half with more chances on goal but failed to convert. The half would finish 0-0 as Lobos took control of the first 25 minutes of the half, but Future FC took control back for the second portion.
The second half kicks off with a shift in intensity for both sides as they played the dumb and chase game. The away team seemed to have let go of their pressure behind FFC's lines. To add to Lobos' frustration, their coach gets a yellow for protesting a lack of offside call at the center referee.
Nonetheless, Future FC was getting to Lobos' final third from long through passes mainly on the right side but failed to set up a shot at goal. However, they got most of the chances, along with multiple offside calls. The away team seemed to run out of gas entirely as they bunkered down defense and did not make many attempts for an attack.
They didn't keep possession when FFC came to challenge the ball and progressively got slower as Future increased their tempo. Despite FFC getting a yellow for a late tackle, they controlled possession and kept the waves of attack. They also got close with many corners kick chances till eventually, they got their first goal from one. FFC sends the ball from a corner on the right side into the box, where the Lobos keeper punches it out. The ball lands clear of the traffic near the keeper, and Haidee Duran gets the rebound and bangs it home. 1-0 for the home team. Towards the end of the match, FFC got a penalty call from a Lobos player tripping up an FFC player from behind in the box. Caitlyn Sauceda converts from the spot to get her ninth goal of the season. Future continues to attack despite the 2-0 lead, but Lobos have not changed anything to fight back. The match would end with the home team recording their 9th win and finishing the regular season undefeated.
Post-game
Future FC ends the regular at home with a 9-1-0 record, placing 1st in the SoCal conference with a GD of +38. They await a postseason announcement from the league following the conclusion of the other teams wrapping up their final games. For the visitors, Lobos placed 6th in the season with a 2-1-5 and a -11 GD. Although the postseason structure has not been announced, it is doubtful they will clinch a playoff berth. Here is the full match stream on Eleven Sports, recorded by Future FC.
