Former Soquel High star scores lone goal
Former Soquel High star scores lone goal, lifts Sunderland to Papa John’s Trophy win at historic Wembley Stadium
Former Soquel High soccer star Lynden Gooch, 25, scored the lone goal to lift Sunderland AFC past Tranmere Rovers 1-0 in the Papa John’s Trophy final in Wembley, England, on Sunday.
Midfielder Aiden McGeady was credited with an assist in the 57th minute on Gooch’s tally, which lifted the Blacks Cats to their first win at Wembley Stadium since 1973. McGeady split the Tranmere defense with an incisive pass, setting up Gooch, who advanced and coolly lifted the ball over goalkeeper Scott Davies.
No fans were allowed at the game due to the pandemic. The Blacks Cats celebrated on the field with the trophy and a massive champagne dousing after their win.
“It was a great day,” Sunderland coach Lee Johnson told safc.com. “It was a tough day, make no mistake, but we got there in the end.”
The Blacks Cats ended their seven-match winless streak at Wembley. Their last win at the historic venue came in the ’73
FA Cup final, when they produced a 1-0 victory over Leeds.
Gooch, ranked 45th out of 555 midfielders by footystats.org, has four goals and six assists on the season. He signed with the Sunderland youth setup in 2012 and used to train with the club during the school holidays before relocating to England when he turned 16.
To reach the EFL Trophy final, the Blacks Cats went 2-1 in group play, beat Oldham
Athletic 2-1 in the second round Dec. 8, Port Vale 2-0 in the third round Jan. 12, Milton Keynes 3-0 in the quarterfinals Feb. 2, and Lincoln City 1-1 (shootout) in the semifinals Feb. 17.
Sunderland (16-5-12; 60 points), which sit in fourth place in the EFL League One standings, returns to action Wednesday at noon (PST), when it faces 10thplace Accrington Stanley (14-11-8; 50 points) at Crown Ground in Accrington, England.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.