In a season in which the Chico Rooks can’t seem to win without drama, the Rooks edged out the San Fernando Valley Golden Eagles 2-0 at Durham High School in Durham, Calif.
The only all-USISL Pro League affair in the First Round featured a pair of teams who played league games the night before. The Rooks scored a 1-0 win over the Yakima Reds while the Golden Eagles beat the Arizona Cotton, 4-1.
With the win, the Rooks have now won 8 of their last 9 games in all competitions.
Chico took command early, both goals came ten minutes apart in the first half.
Lance Welker, who scored the brace against the San Francisco All Blacks that clinched the Rooks a spot in the Open Cup, got Chico off to a good start.
In the 23rd minute, Welker scored on a bicycle kick off a pass from Jeremy Gunn.
Just four minutes later, Scott Wulferdingen who scored the lone goal in the Rooks’ win over the Yakima Reds, made a strong return from injury. “Wolfie”, as it reads on the back of his jersey, lofted a pass towards defender Roman Ritz, whose diving header just missed the goal.
In the 31st minute, it was Jeremy Gunn’s turn. The former NCAA Division II All-American from Cal State Bakersfield, took advantage of a Valley mishap. The Golden Eagles goalkeeper collided with a teammate while attempting to punch the ball clear, leaving the ball at Gunn’s feet for an easy goal to make it 2-0 Chico.
The Rooks had a few chances in the second half to extend the lead, but failed to take advantage.
“We had a few two-on-two’s in the second half” Rooks manager Dave Stahl told the Paradise (Calif.) Post “We have to score on those.”
The Rooks defense held strong in the second half and when the final whistle sounded, goalkeeper Randy Dedini had earned his second clean sheet in as many days.
THECUP.US RESEARCH NOTE
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The Rooks head coach recognized the importance of a good performance in the Open Cup.
“We’re extremely happy with this win and looking forward to the quarterfinals,” Stahl told the Chico Enterprise. “This will definitely help the team and the community get some recognition around the country.”