ACFC notches fifth victory in tough Silverlake match

Angel City showed true grit Tuesday night, coming back from a 1-0 first half deficit to take its fifth straight win with a hard fought 4-1 victory over cross-town rivals Silverlake FC.

In what was one of ACFC's toughest challenges to date, the Teal Warriors were initially knocked off their game by a physically aggressive Silverlake side. And while there were good scoring opportunities at both ends of the field, it was Silverlake who struck first at the 30-minute mark, with a first-time shot off a well taken corner kick. ACFC pushed forward for the equalizer but couldn't quite finish before the half-time whistle. One effort in particular saw the Silverlake goalie save a shot from behind the goal line, but the referee was obstructed by several players and called for a goal kick.

Game flow was constantly interrupted by the Silverlake decision to make several subs at every opportunity, a strategy which eventually even got on the game officials' nerves.

In the second half, Angel City stepped up its game with more aggressive tackles in the midfield and a fast counterattacking game. In an inspired run, Dan Sapienza -- voted ACFC MVP of the game -- chested a ball forward at the midway mark of the field, and then took the ball past at least four players. Then, with a defender breathing down his back, Sapienza knocked the ball past the Silverlake keeper from a near impossible angle to tie the tally at the 50-minute mark of the game. The individual effort lifted the squad to an even higher gear, and 10 minutes later Russ Muratov -- currently ACFC's lead scorer with eight goals thus far this season -- slid into the Silverlake goalmouth to convert a Ben O'Meara pass.

Strong defence from Kirby Adams, Dan Stafford and Leo Wallach, as well as solid midfield performances from Matt Onheiber and David 'Puma' Alarcon, kept the ball in Silverlake territory, allowing at least three incredible goalmouth opportunities which were turned aside by some acrobatic goalkeeping.

Muratov finally added to the scoreline with about five minutes to go, converting a Ben O'Meara corner kick. And Sapienza also earned a brace with a final strike at the 87-minute mark. By this point the game had gotten a bit rough. ACFC were handed out three yellows, while Silverlake received four ... two issued against the team's tall sweeper, who was ejected for a pushing incident against Sapienza.

"Last night we were up against the wall and we fought back and rallied together as a team," ACFC coach Billy Alarcon said following the match. "We kept our cool against a sloppy, physical team. We out-hustled them in the second half and most importantly, we didn't panic being down a goal at the half. We are a strong, confident but not cocky team. And we showed a lot of heart."

Angel City's biggest test to date comes Feb. 17 against the Blue Eagles -- who have also posted an impressive win streak this season. Kickoff is at 8:25 PM at John Ferraro #6.


GAME STATS

Goals: Russ Muratov (2), Dan Sapienza (2)
Assists: Ben O'Meara (2)
ACFC MVP: Dan Sapienza
Shots: ACFC (10), Dinamo Lokomotiv (6)
Corners: ACFC (11), Dinamo Lokomotiv (5)
Yellow Cards: ACFC (3), Dinamo Lokomotiv (4)
Red Cards: ACFC (0), Dinamo Lokomotiv (1)