Soul found a dynamic duo in Kaytlin Brinkman and Aliyah Jones as the pair scored two goals and two assists respectively, and Oakland defeated Stockton Cargo by a final score of 5-2 to remain undefeated on Thursday evening at Merritt College.
Oakland and Stockton looked like mirror images of each other in the first half. Both teams fought hard, but it was Soul who struck first, when Kaytlin Brinkman received a pass from Aliyah Jones and chipped the ball perfectly over Cargo netminder Mia Collins, finding the back of the net via the top corner.
Moments later, Stockton found an answer after Cargo’s Alexis Brewah won a 50-50 ball near the penalty spot and tapped in a wide open goal, knotting the score at one each.
The game continued in the form of a back-and-forth showdown until Sam Tran ricocheted a hard shot off the crossbar. This near goal led to an Oakland spark offensively and only moments later Aliyah Jones delivered another perfect pass to Kaytlin Brinkman who buried her second of the night in the 38th minute to put Soul back ahead 2-1.
As if attempting to recreate Soul’s recipe for success, Stockton rifled a shot off of Oakland’s crossbar only moments later, and Alexis Brewah knocked home the rebound for her second, tying the game back up at two a side.
At halftime, the similarities ended. Sam Tran shattered the mirror for good when she scored just three minutes after the starting whistle, giving Soul a lead they would never surrender.
Oakland survived an offensive push from a desperate Stockton near the end of the match, but Soul found a cushion in the form of a Nayeli Diaz goal in the 84th minute, and for good measure, Miranda Nild scored her second in as many games only moments before the final whistle.
Oakland Soul plays again at home this Sunday, June 4th against Cal Storm at Merritt College with kickoff at 2:00 PM PT.
Oakland Soul SC vs Stockton Cargo
USL W League | June 1, 2023
Venue: Merritt College, Oakland, California
Kickoff: 6:00 PM PT
Weather: 58 degrees, partly cloudy
SCORELINE:
OAK: 5
STK: 2
SCORING SUMMARY:
OAK: 14’ Kaytlin Brinkman
STK: 19’ Alexis Brewah
OAK: 38’ Kaytlin Brinkman
STK: 40’ Alexis Brewah
OAK: 48’ Sam Tran
OAK: 84’ Nayeli Diaz
OAK: 90’ Miranda Nild
OAKLAND SOUL LINEUP: Layla Armas, Aaliyah Schinaman, Marissa Garcia (Izzy Liu), Mia Parkhurst, Zoe Franks (Zoë Parkhurst), Henar Urteaga, Kaytlin Brinkman (Sarah Mirr), Manaka Hayashi (Nayeli Diaz), Jaida Nyby, Aliyah Jones (Miranda Nild), Sam Tran (Eden Olson)
Unused subs: Maleni Morales