Sagna-nara Angel City!

United go top of table on shoulders of Senegalese sensation.

After a slow start on Sunday, Malibu United made a definitive reach for a birth in the playoffs of the Angel City Soccer League summer session.

Midway through the first half, defender Lamine Sagna started the scoring when midfielder Damon Manak delivered a long throw-in from the left side. Sagna, positioned twenty yards out, met the cross with a well-timed right-footed volley that converted the ball into a laser beam directed toward the lower left corner of the net.

That scoreline held until after the halftime break, when Manak collected a loose ball near the midfield line and drove a hard shot past the Angel City goalkeeper and through the netting to put United ahead by two.

United’s defense then began to falter a bit when veteran David Simpson turned the ball over with an errant pass in the United half of the field. The Angel City striker took advantage of the opportunity, and then a short time later, pulled a second goal back to balance the score line.

Luckily, United weren’t through. Minutes before the final whistle, the ball was collected at the halfway line by newcomer David Fox. Fox found Damon Manak who was making a run down the left sideline, and as the Angel City defense collapsed in on his position, Manak slotted the ball between the back line and the goalie toward J.J. Saul, rushing down the opposite side of the field. Saul calmly side-footed the ball into the back of the net to give United the win and solidify their position in the playoffs.

story and photos by kef