by Rod Hughes

For the rebounding Saprissa First Division soccer club, it was an important victory, especially since it was in Santa Cruz’s home field in the Guanacaste province’s low coastal area—meaning it was scorching hot compared with Tibas’s climate.

For Santa Cruz, the Saprissa 3-0 victory was a disaster, sending them packing to the Second Division and making way for another team in that division to play with the big boys next season.

Try Bennett opened the cannonade after the first 18 minutes of play on a “golaso,” as they say in Spanish, scoring from a goodly distance. Ten minutes later, Alejandro Alpizar acted on a pass from Bennett. Then in the second half, Alpizar put the cap on Santa Cruz’s misery on a pass from Victor Cordero.

Meanwhile, Alajuela dumped Brujas in a hard-played game, 2-1, win still complicates life for both teams. especially for Brujas which had high hopes of passing on to the second part of the champiosnip tourney.

Things looked bright, indeed, for Brujas when their Danny Fonseca scored after only eight minutes of play. They looked even brighter when Alajula’s Pablo Salazar was expelled in minute 25.

Then the cloud obscured the Brujas day when Alajuela’s Carlos Hernandez scored in the final two minutes of the first half on a pass from Pablo Herrera, tying the score. Even at minute 81, a tie appeared likely—until Herrera scored on a pass by Victor Nunez.

In other Sunday games, Santos dumped Carmelita 3-0, Puntarenas regained its winning touch 1-0 over Liberia, and a surprising San Carlos edged Heredia 1-0 on a header by its star, Andy Furtado.

The Santos win, by the way, puts that team in striking distance of the second round with a makeup game coming Wednesday.