By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Points aplenty for Academica teams during busy stretch
Academica men
Two straight wins for the men’s team of Turlock’s Academica SC have them confident as they climb the standings in the USL League Two NorCal Division standings (Photo contributed).

Nearly two months into their inaugural United Soccer League seasons, Turlock’s Academica SC men’s and women’s squads seem to have found their footing in their respective leagues. As the women’s team rebounded from a pair of losses in the USL W with a tightly contested draw, the men’s team continued to climb the standings in the USL League Two with consecutive wins.

The men began their winning ways on June 10 with a 3-1 victory over San Francisco City FC at Kezar Stadium. The Turlock team was off to the races from the opening whistle, with Andres Lua scoring a goal in just the third minute of action. He scored again in the 35th minute to push the lead to 2-0 at halftime. The lead was extended to 3-0 in the 90th minute by Eduardo Castellanos before San Francisco got on the board in stoppage time with a goal from Bernardo Berardinelli Silva, but it was far too little and late.

In their next match against the Marin FC Legends at San Rafael High School on Saturday, they displayed similar dominance, controlling the pace for all 90 minutes. Desmond Madrigal kicked off the scoring with a 25th minute goal while Lua capped it off with a 70th minute score in the 2-0 win.

Academica now has 10 points in the USL League Two’s NorCal Division, pushing them to fourth place in the standings with a 3-4-1 record. This week will serve as a bye for the club, with their next match being at home at Academica Fields in Turlock on Friday, June 30 at 6 p.m. against Monterey Bay FC 2.

Despite not getting a win on Saturday, the Academica ladies also had positives to takeaways from their meeting with the Marin FC Sirens. After not scoring in consecutive games in 4-0 and 5-0 losses to California Storm and Oakland Soul FC, respectively, Academica’s 3-3 draw against the Sirens earned them a point in the USL W NorCal Division. After finding themselves in a. 2-0 hole, Trinidad Quiroz took over, scoring three goals in a 25-minute span. The 3-2 lead wouldn’t last, though, as Marin’s Halle Hanna scored in the 83rd minute to even things out.

Academica WSC is now 1-7-1 on the year and in a three-way tie with Marin and the Pleasanton Rage for sixth place in the eight-team division. They are back in action Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Academica Fields in Turlock against Pleasanton.