Albion San Diego earned a trip to the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) final after defeating the top-seeded Cal United Strikers 4-2 in the semifinal at Championship Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 29. Albion entered the match after finishing as the fourth-seed by beating the Maryland Bobcats in the quarterfinal, while Cal United went straight to the semifinal round after earning a bye.

“I’m very happy for everybody involved,” said Albion San Diego head coach Ziggy Korytoski. “From the beginning of this project, Albion SC and 1904 came together with one vision. We’ve put together a team and a group that represents the community and the city of San Diego in this one organization.”

Albion took the lead in the 17th minute when forward Alioune Diakhate found teammate Lennyn Carreon streaking into the middle of the box. That’s when the 19-year-old sensation was able to get the ball past goalkeeper Jean Antoine who did not play in the most recent match between the two teams on Oct. 8.

“I couldn’t be more proud of what the guys have done,” Korytoski added. “They’ve dealt with a ton of adversity throughout the season. We felt very good about what we wanted to do and some of the matchups that we had in the game.”

Albion extended the lead in the 37th minute when forward Mayele Malango blasted a right-footed shot from 10-yards-out into the back of the net that Antoine could not react to in time. Cal United was able to cut the deficit in half after midfielder Shinya Kadono was fouled inside the box with forward Omar Nuño converting the ensuing penalty kick in the 40th minute.

Cal United came out with a sense of urgency in the second half and was able to tie the game in the 51st minute after Kadono took advantage of a deflected shot and put the ball out of the reach of goalkeeper Ben Roach.

The home team kept pressing forward with the momentum now on its side looking to take the lead and almost did in the 70th minute when Nuño scored on a point-blank shot but the flag went up as he was clearly offside. Albion San Diego found its bearings in the 74th minute when Jonathan Bazaes, who came in as a substitute just moments earlier, scored from five yards out.

Frustration started for Cal United, which committed several fouls that only turned the clock into a foe and allowed the visitors to maintain possession. Albion ended up putting the game away in the 83rd minute when Malango gave a perfect pass to Diakhate who had gotten by all the defenders and beat Antoine one on one with a left-footed shot.

Albion San Diego played Cal United five times overall this season losing only once to the team from Irvine, which was in the first meeting between the two sides on June 10 but winning the last three including the regular season finale.

The NISA championship match will be held on Sunday, Nov. 6 at Romeo Stadium in Washington, Mich., against the Michigan Stars after their 1-0 upset of Chattanooga FC at Finley Stadium.

“They are a very talented team that I believe has been overlooked all season,” Korytoski added. “They got it together at the right time and are extremely difficult to break down defensively.”

Albion San Diego and Michigan played each other twice during the regular season with Albion coming out with a 3-0 victory in the first meeting on Sept. 10 and with the Stars winning the second by a score of 2-0 on Oct. 5.

Photo courtesy of David Frerker