The San Jose Earthquakes U-18s notched a pair of scoreless draws while their U-16 counterparts lost twice during a Pacific Northwest swing over the weekend.
The U-18s (1-2-3 Overall, 0-0-2 Northwest Division) yielded seven corners in the opening 15 minutes of play against Sounders FC on Saturday, but settled in against a quality side. San Jose had a golden chance to go ahead in the 88th minute on a penalty, but Seattle’s goalkeeper stopped the shot.
San Jose’s goalkeeper Jesus Guzman had a game-changing save of his own late in the match, diving and swatting away a Sounders FC shot with one hand to preserve the tie.
Midfielder Sam Engs, a U-16 player for San Jose, received a chance to play with the U-18s and rose to the occasion.
Guzman posted another shutout against Crossfire Premier on Sunday. Defender Manuel Sandoval had a goal-line clearance to keep the sides level.
[inline_node:6847]San Jose’s U-16s (0-5-1, 0-2-0) held possession for much of the day against Seattle, but went down 2-0 in the first 17 minutes.
Eli Padilla pulled one back in the 36th minute, finishing a ball played in by Will Velasco.
Against Crossfire Premier, San Jose let in a penalty and an own goal in a 2-0 loss.
For a full schedule of San Jose’s Academy play, click here.
Photos courtesy of Chris Coulter, SoundersPhotos.com
