SD Flash and San Diego Boca FC battled to a 2-2 draw in the San Diego Derby.

Soccer News: SD Flash and San Diego Boca FC Draw in San Diego Derby

One thing is certain when the San Diego Flash and San Diego Boca FC meet, the game will be intense and exciting. The latest meeting between the two teams lived up to its billing, as the San Diego Derby ended in a 2-2 draw at Del Norte High School.

As fans shivered in the stands while cold winds carried the last of a storm east away from San Diego, the play on the pitch heated up as it tends to do when San Diego’s National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) teams go head-to-head.

Flash had opened the season with a convincing 4-0 win over FC Hasental the week before, and were focused on opening up a wider lead on the rest of the division.

Coming off a draw the week before against Santa Clarita Storm, Boca wanted to prove that the pair of wins in the preseason Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualifying were not just flukes, particularly their 1-0 victory over Flash in the second game.

With head coach Karim Ben Marzouk back after two weeks, Boca showed much more organization than they had the previous match. Instead of giving up an early goal, Boca struck first in the second minute when forward Juan “Kichi” Perez took a feed in front of the net and fired past Flash goaltender Nicholas Harpel. The quick goal seemed to momentarily stun Flash.

The Chula Vista Rangers GU-12 team was on hand to help out as ball girls

Momentum did not stay with Boca for long, though, as Flash created several chances at the opposite end, but the tenacious defense and cat-like reflexes of Boca’s goalkeeper Steve Gonzalez were enough to keep the home team off the scoreboard for much of the half. However, Boca was equally unable to regain and hold momentum long enough to add to their lead

Eventually, with barely four minutes before halftime, Flash was able to convert one of their chances.

In a scramble in front of the Boca net, Flash’s Ladule Lako-LoSarah managed to head the ball backwards over the reach of Gonzalez to an onrushing Duatch “Dutch” Jock.

The lanky Jock fired in mid-leap, sending the ball into the net for the tying goal. Both teams pressed the final minutes for a go-ahead score, but the half ended at 1-1. A last minute scuffle between Gonzalez and Flash’s Adrian DuBois following a collision in front of the goal earned both players yellow cards and underscored the intensity and emotion the San Diego Derby always brings out.

The second half began with both teams pushing to establish momentum and pull ahead. Boca’s Perez made several deep runs into Flash territory, only to be turned away by the defense. Likewise Sergio Valle-Ortiz employed his stellar ball-handling skills to orchestrate Flash attacks against the visitors. Then, in the 53^rd minute Valle-Ortiz centered the ball to LoSarah who beat Gonzalez for the goal to put Flash ahead 2-1. LoSarah celebrated by pulling his jersey up over the top of his head and was given a yellow card for what the referee apparently felt was poor sportsmanship.

With the goal, Flash went back on the attack, looking to put some cushion into their lead. Boca would have none of it, and pushed back with lightning counter-attacks led by Perez. Finally, in the 68^th minute, Harpel went up for a high save and collided with a Boca player in the process.

Unable to hold on to the ball, the Flash keeper fell to the ground as the defense tried desperately to clear the ball away. From seemingly nowhere, Perez darted into the fray and chipped a shot into the unguarded net to again tie the score as Harpel watched helplessly.

After that the game became even more physical as both sides battled for position and the chance to break the tie. At one point two Boca players lay on the pitch after collisions at opposite ends of the field. In spite of the effort, neither defense was about to give in.

Try as they might, neither side was able to break through and the match ended in a draw, although Perez came very close in the final minutes.

Boca goalie Steve Gonzalez (25) and Flash's Ladule Lako-LoSarah (12) watch Duatch "Dutch" Jock's shot hit the back of the net	Ladule Lako-LoSarah scores for SD Flash
Flash's Nicholas Harpel punches out a Boca shot	Boca's Steve Gonzalez goes up to tip away a Flash shot
Flash and Boca battle for the ball in front of the Flash goal...	...as Boca's Juan "Kichi" Perez dashes in to tip the ball into the net for the tying goal

After the game both sides agreed that it had been a well-played match, and each felt they could have come out on top. “It was a good, entertaining game,” said SD Flash assistant coach Jerome Watson afterwards. “I thought we created good chances to get the victory. I thought we could have done better clearing the ball on their second goal, but it was a good game. I think the nerves showed a little bit on both sides. I’m disappointed with the results, but it was a good match.”

While disappointed in the tie, Boca head coach Ben Marzouk was pleased with the team’s improvement over the previous match. “We tried to play our game as much as we could,” he said.

“The way the game was played, I think the score was pretty fair. When they come to our field we will be even better prepared. I hadn’t been here to train with the team for a couple weeks, and it showed in our game.”

“It was a very intense game,” said “Kichi” Perez. “I got lucky enough to score both goals and help my team tie the game. We worked hard the whole game. On the second goal I was lucky enough to be there to push it in. At the last moment I had another chance, but that’s soccer. We need to work hard every week so we can get our three points”

San Diego Boca owner Yan Skwara had mixed feelings about the final results. “When you score the first goal and get some momentum, and you don’t put away a second goal in the first half, that’s a problem,” he said. “I think that’s what we needed to do, score a second goal to put the game more in our hands. It didn’t happen and they tied it up, and that changed the momentum. Both teams had chances but didn’t do it. We came here to get three points and only got one, so we’re a bit disappointed. At the same time it was our first game with Coach Karim back, so we’re okay with the results.”

“I think we really know what we need to do moving forward,” Skwara continued. “I think we’re getting ‘seasoned’ as far as who we are and what our strengths and weaknesses are. We’re stepping it up and now we can look to our next game and keep things going.”

Next week Boca will host FC Hasental at San Diego High School’s historic Balboa Stadium, with kickoff at 7:00 p.m. Flash will take to the road, heading east to Arizona to meet the Phoenix Monsoon, who lost to Boca in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup in March.

All photo credit: Stephen Prendergast for SoccerNation

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