Capistrano FC Wins in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Qualifying

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. – Hevany Mota finally got the brace he thought he had in his first Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup game.

Mota scored on both sides of halftime as Capistrano FC built a four-goal lead before playing down a man for the final 10-plus minutes and holding on to defeat Laguna Beach FC 4-1 on Wednesday night in a 2023 U.S. Open Cup 2^nd Round Qualifier at La Paz Sports Park.

“I forget the team we played in the first round by we beat them, forfeit, and I scored two goals in that game, too,” said Mota, who scored twice as Capistrano FC beat OC Kings FC via forfeit in a 1^st Round Qualifier.

Mota is among the goal-scoring leaders in the Southwest Premier League (SWPL) this Fall season for Capistrano FC, which qualified out of NISA Nation.

“It feels good to contribute and get the result. That’s what’s important and now we can move on and hopefully keeping winning,” Mota said.

Daniel Segal opened the scoring in the 4^th minute on a pass from Fatmir Becovic, who then gave Capistrano FC a 2-0 lead in the 15^th minute with a goal on a shot that was blocked by a Laguna Beach FC defender but looped inside the far post.

Mota’s first goal in the 39^th minute came on a blast from the top of the penalty area for a 3-0 lead. His second came right out of halftime when Becovic sent a long ball over the top for Mota, who tackled the ball away from Laguna Beach FC’s defender before going one-on-one and beating the home side’s goalkeeper.

Sergio Montes was cautioned for persistent infringement in the 71^st minute and received a second yellow card and was sent off in the 77^th minute for a studs-up challenge in midfield, leaving Capistrano FC short for the remained of the match.

Capo FC goalkeeper Nathan King was able to keep Laguna Beach FC out of the back of the net until Alex Fafilek broke through in the 83^rd minute, finishing a well-worked attack down the right side with a near-post blast through King’s hands.

King made 10 of his 12 saves in the second half as Laguna Beach pressed diligently and produced 14 shots (11 on goal) over the final 45 minutes plus 4 minutes of stoppage time.