UPSL: AFA Academy Holds Off Late Surge to Defeat Lake Country United FC 3–2

Andrew Earnest
17 hours ago
3 min read

Updated: 5 hours ago

NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com

GREENSBORO, GA (APRIL 11, 2026) — On the third matchday of the UPSL Division 1 season, AFA Academy earned a hard-fought victory against Lake Country United FC. With this win, the Argentina development affiliate moves onto the top place in the league. The Argentine academy side continued their momentum from a dominant 9-1 victory against Columbus Knights FC. The home side, LCUFC, had two victories under their belt. Driven by a lively crowd, this match was defined by critical set pieces and a late home-side push that failed to materialize.

The visitors started on the front foot with a slew of deep runs into the offensive half. AFA's Jesus Sepulvera took an early shot that crossed the goal and careened off-target. In the tenth minute, LCUFC had an early chance when Demarion McCray made a sizeable run into space, maneuvered past a defender, but his cross didn't connect with a teammate.

AFA stood unaffected. In the 13th minute, they took a corner that would commence the scoring. The corner was taken by Jesus Sepulvera and perfectly placed to the head of Mauro Morales, leading to the first AFA goal.

LCUFC 0 – 1 AFA

LCUFC would begin to struggle chaining passes through the midfield, seemingly feeling the pressure from that early goal. The majority of the LCUFC attack came from Demarion McCray, who at one point beat two defenders to draw a corner.

Similarly, the AFA midfield and attack showed great technical skill when dribbling, often making dangerous runs that yielded close attacks. The AFA defense was heavily tested before the half concluded, facing three consecutive shots on target from the Greensboro side.

HALFTIME SCORE: LCUFC 0 – 1 AFA

At halftime, the Lake Country United FC gameday staff passed out noisemakers to the crowd of roughly 200. The stadium erupted with trumpeting from the fans throughout the second half.

The lively home crowd was stunned when AFA expanded their lead only a minute into the second half. Yet another corner from Jesus Sepulvera connected with Cristofer Duron for an uncontested header into goal. AFA Academy had now scored from two corners in extremely similar fashion.

LCUFC 0 – 2 AFA

LCUFC didn't go down without a fight, being given an excellent opportunity when a player was taken down inside the box and a penalty kick was awarded. It was taken by Jordan Durante, who slotted it in comfortably in the 51st minute, leading to a cacophony of noise from the invigorated crowd.

LCUFC 1 – 2 AFA

At this point, LCUFC found their footing, continuing to trade blows and attempting to claw back another goal. AFA's Cristofer Duron nearly found another goal with a phenomenal run that produced a strong shot that narrowly went over the crossbar. LCUFC countered when Rui Pereira found a powerful shot on goal, yielding a diving save from goalkeeper Steven Carrillo.

LCUFC's hopes of a comeback were stifled when AFA found a third goal in the 81st minute. A cross that entered the LCUFC half was missed by a defender and comfortably tapped into goal by Lian Gonzalez.

LCUFC 1 – 3 AFA

After a bit of contact in the box in the 85th minute, LCUFC was granted another penalty kick, taken by defender Joseph Crick. Goalkeeper Steven Carrillo dove the wrong way; Crick struck it powerfully into the bottom-right corner.

LCUFC 2 – 3 AFA

LCUFC would try to find another goal, but with only two minutes of regular play remaining and a small tussle in the final moments, the Greensboro side fell short of a comeback.

FINAL SCORE: LCUFC 2 – 3 AFA

With the results of this match, AFA Academy advanced to the top spot in the Georgia South division. Meanwhile, Lake Country United FC dropped down to third in the league, with Columbus Knights FC in second between them. It is early in the season and both clubs appear to be in good form for challenging a division victory.

For the following matchdays:

AFA Academy defends their home field against Middle Georgia United FC at Silverbacks Park in Atlanta (April 18th at 4:30 PM EST).

Lake Country United FC travels to Columbus to face off against FC Columbus Elite II at Otis Spencer Stadium (April 18th at 3:00 PM EST).

Men of the Match:

AFA Academy: #18, Jesus Sepulvera

Lake Country United FC: #7, Demarion McCray