Alisal scored a pair of second-half goals to erase a halftime deficit and the Trojans held on for a 2-1 victory over Lincoln Saturday night in the semifinals of the Oak Grove Gold Cup Tournament. The win puts Alisal (5-0-0) into the championship match Saturday night at Oak Grove (7 pm) against Palo Alto (4-0-0), which edged North Monterey County, 3-2, in the other semifinal.
Down 1-0 at the break, Alisal stormed back on goals by junior Luis Duenas and the game-winner by junior Willy Miranda. Lorenzo Vasquez and Danny Pulido recorded assists for the Trojans, who received a big lift offensively and defensively from Duenas, who was playing his first game at left back.
Alisal stormed through the qualifying round of the Oak Grove Gold Cup with 6-0 wins over King City and San Benito. The goal scored by Lincoln was the first conceded all season by the Trojans, who have scored a total of 19 goals themselves in five games.
Meanwhile, Palo Alto has started off the season in impressive fashion as well, defeating highly regarded teams Oak Grove, Los Gatos and Seaside in addition to the semifinal win over North Monterey County.