Owls Spoil Fuego’s Home Opener

It was a fast and loose affair, but Union Omaha was able to leave Fresno with all three points.  The 2-0 scoreline gave the undefeated Owls their first league victory this season and second across all competitions.

Coming off of a strong performance in the US Open Cup on Wednesday night, which saw them defeat USL Championship club El Paso Locomotive, the Owls looked to ride that wave of confidence in their next league match and spoil the home opener for Central Valley Fuego.

The Owls were put on high alert soon after the opening whistle, when Central Valley Fuego’s Othoniel Jaramillo had a close-range shot in the 4th minute of play.  Union Omaha’s goalkeeper and reigning Golden Glove winner Rashid Nuhu was able to get low and save the shot.  The early pressure was the only shot on goal that the Owls would see for the rest of the first half.

While Central Valley Fuego was able to get off six shots inside of Union Omaha’s penalty area, Union Omaha found more open windows from outside the box, with four shots outside and two shots inside the box.  The Owls finished the half with two shots on goal – one inside the box and one from distance.

A match between Central Valley Fuego and Union Omaha seems to be synonymous with heavy discipline from the center referee.  In the first half alone, the two sides combined for 16 fouls, with the Owls often seen as the aggressor, being the cause of 11 stoppages.  It’s a surprise that there were only three yellow cards handed out before the halftime whistle, but the center ref was kept busy in the second half.

Just before the halftime whistle sounded, Union Omaha was able to take the lead with a goal from Noe Meza.  In the 45th minute, Shaft Brewer Jr. was able to steal the ball from Central Valley’s Jesus Partida.  The loose ball was scooped up by Joe Brito and it was off to the races, as Brito took a path along the right flank, Brewer Jr. slid toward the center, and Noe Meza was able to exploit some space behind the defenders.  Right as Brito passed the midline, he sent a beautiful, curling long pass directly into the path of Meza, who fended off two Fuego defenders and took a shot high on the near post for the early lead.  The goal was Meza’s first of the season and Brito’s second assist across all competitions.

The second half was a continuation of the chippy affair, seeing 17 more fouls added to the total tally.  Union Omaha would go on to contribute 12 fouls to that count.  As mentioned before, the ref was busier in the second half, handing out five more yellow cards before the end of the match.

Union Omaha fans were able to get a first look at new additions to the roster, as Luca Mastrantonio and Marco Milanese earned minutes before the final whistle.  Mastrantonio replaced Shaft Brewer Jr. just after halftime and Milanese was subbed on for Luis Gil in the 89th minute.

Just before the aforementioned 89th-minute substitution, Union Omaha was able to find the insurance policy on the victory, thanks to Steevan dos Santos.  In the 88th minute, second-half substitute Alex Steinwascher took the ball from well inside Union Omaha’s half, dribbled past several Fuego defenders and found the perfect window to feed a through-ball up to an advancing Steevan dos Santos.  The Cape Verdean carried the ball just outside the goal area before slotting it near post.  That was the second goal across all competitions for dos Santos.

Overall, there were great performances across the board.  The midfield unit of Luis Gil, JP Scearce, Joe Gallardo, and team captain Conor Doyle moved swiftly around the field to continuously apply pressure and pick up the loose balls.  Defenders Alexis Souahy and Junior Palacios held the middle of the backline tight and worked well to thwart attacks from Fuego.  Goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu earned his first league clean sheet and second across all competitions.

The win vaults Union Omaha up from ninth place after Week 3 to fourth place.  This is the second time that Union Omaha has visited Fresno, California and the Owls remain undefeated in Fresno State’s Soccer Stadium.

Week 5 brings the Owls back to Caniglia Field for a clash with North Carolina FC.  The match takes place on Saturday, April 15th and kicks off at 2 PM CT.  Don’t forget to wear your sweater for the match, as the club is hosting a “Sweater Weather” themed promotional day.

Attendance: 570

Goal Summary: 

45’: OMA – Noe Meza (assisted by Joe Brito)

88’: OMA – Steevan dos Santos (assisted by Alex Steinwascher)

Substitution Summary: 

57’: CV – Villyan Bijev replaces David Díaz

57’: CV – Zahir Vazquez replaces Othoniel Jaramillo

69’: CV – Andrew Forth replaces Omar Lemus

77’: CV – Harold Hanson replaces Diego Casillas

78’: CV – Sam Strong replaces Alex Cerritos

45’: OMA – Luca Mastrantonio replaces Shaft Brewer Jr.

61’: OMA – Steevan dos Santos replaces Joe Brito

72’: OMA – Pedro Dolabella replaces Joe Gallardo

73’: OMA – Alex Steinwascher replaces Noe Meza

89’: OMA – Marco Milanese replaces Luis Gil

Discipline Summary:

37’: CV – Jesus Partida (yellow card) 

60’: CV – Jordan Chavez (yellow card)

18’: OMA – Joe Brito (yellow card)

41’: OMA – Shaft Brewer Jr. (yellow card)

55’: OMA – Conor Doyle (yellow card)

75’: OMA – Pedro Dolabella (yellow card)

90’: OMA – Rashid Nuhu (yellow card)

90’+3: OMA – Alexis Souahy (yellow card)