On a chilly Saturday night at PAL Stadium in San Jose, California, the defending NPSL champions Sonoma County Sol booked passage into the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the fourth time since 2005 with a 3-0 victory over PSA Los Gatos Storm.
The single game play-in contest was made necessary when it was found that the US Club Soccer affiliated Storm could not participate in the USASA’s Region IV tournament since US Club Soccer are competitors. US Soccer does not have any plans in place for US Club Soccer teams to qualify, since no team from that organization has ever expressed interest in participating in the tournament.
The Sol jumped in front quickly on a 9th minute goal from team veteran Eric Larson. The Storm found it difficult to create chances at goal against the Sol defense. After thirty minutes, Sonoma County doubled their lead when Lee Summerscales headed in a corner kick. The opening 45 minutes finished with the Sol’s 2-0 advantage.
Just five minutes into the second half, Sonoma County put the game out of reach. Tyler Hurst, another of the Sol’s veteran players, scored on a cross from the far left corner after a defensive lapse by the Storm.