Kaytlin Brinkman scored a brace, and Soul overcame an early 1-0 deficit to defeat visiting Marin FC Siren in Oakland on Thursday night by a final score of 3-1.
Both teams looked evenly matched early on, but Soul soon started to put pressure on the Siren. Despite this pressure it was Marin that would get on the board first when Elsa Nolen scored against the run of play to give her team a 1-0 lead in the 40th minute.
Soul made four substitutions at halftime that provided an obvious spark for Oakland. Soul owned the second half, hemming Marin into their defensive end for the majority of the frame, and leveling the match just minutes after the whistle. Henar Urteaga found a soft spot in the Siren defense on a corner kick in the 49th minute and put a gorgeous header into the top left corner to bring the match level at 1-1.
Soul continued to apply pressure, eventually capitalizing on it in the 63rd minute when Kaytlin Brinkman deflected a shot from Sam Tran right in front of the keeper to put it into the twine and give Oakland a 2-1 advantage.
After nearly earning her second goal of the match in the 70th minute on a laser shot from deep that rang the crossbar, Brinkman did earn her brace in the 81st when another shot from beyond the penalty area bent just inside the far post to bring the Soul lead to 3-1.
Oakland continued to earn scoring chances, but were content to reach the final whistle with the lead, earning all three points in the table.
Soul will now face a quick turnaround, heading out on the road to face California Storm on Saturday, May 25th before returning to Oakland to face Pleasanton Rage on Thursday, May 30th. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Oakland Soul SC vs Marin FC Siren
USL W League | May 23, 2024
Venue: Merritt College, Oakland, California
Kickoff: 6:00 PM PT
Weather: 68°F, Sunny
SCORELINE:
OAK: 3
MFC: 1
SCORING SUMMARY:
MFC: Elsa Nolen 40’
OAK: Henar Urteaga 49’
OAK: Kaytlin Brinkman 63’
OAK: Kaytlin Brinkman 81’
OAKLAND SOUL LINEUP: Layla Armas, Alexandra Diaz (Samantha Tran), Sydney Shepherd (Vickie Jones), Marissa Garcia, Clare Robke, Arianna Veland (Henar Urteaga), Tatiana Cunningham, Madison Samillo (Aaliyah Schinaman), Lizzie Vranesh (Kennedy Schoennauer), Kaytlin Brinkman, Alessandrea Carpio (Miranda Nild)
Unused subs: Cassia Souza