, 1-0 was the popular score of the night, as that’s how all four games finished. In the first game of the day, Adrian Brumbut’s goal in 47th minute saw the Fredericksburg Gunners past the Delaware Dynasty. At Albany, the Brooklyn Knights got a goal from Rinaldo Chambers in the 68th to edge the Admirals 1-0.  Long Island defeated Westchester 1-0 on the strength of Mike Grella’s 29th minute tally. Finally, the Richmond Kickers Future didn’t get their 1-0 win over West Virginia until the 88th minute, when Duane Barlow scored on a defensive error by the Chaos. The loss eliminated West Virginia from Open Cup contention. Seven teams stand with maximum points, four clubs after two games, and three others after one. Five games are set to kickoff on Saturday, so the picture in the East could clear up a bit, or become even more muddled heading into the final week of qualifiers.

In the lone Central Conference game of the night, the Michigan Bucks stayed perfect after two matches after defeating the Cleveland Internationals 2-0. Doug DeMartin scored eleven minutes into the match, and Mo Duba added an insurance goal in the 71st minute. Nate Jafta assisted on both goals for the Bucks.

In the Southern Conference, the El Paso Patriots solidified their claim to an Open Cup berth, defeating Mississippi Brilla 2-0, to move to 3-0 in the standings. In New Orleans, the Shell Shockers played the Laredo Heat to a scoreless draw. The result eliminates New Orleans, and severely damages Laredo’s chances of returning to the U.S. Open Cup. The Heat were the first victims on Dallas Roma Cinderella run in last year’s competition.

In Friday’s Western Conference action, the Bakersfield Brigade took firm control of the top spot, drilling the Lancaster Rattlers 5-1. Santiago Aguilera moved his 2007 goal total to five with a hat trick. Jason Ashurst and Francisco Javier Gomez also tallied for Bakersfield, who move to 3-0 with a +7 goal difference. The loss eliminated Lancaster, Cascade and Los Angeles. The Ogden Outlaws got off to a bad start in their quest to return to the Open Cup, falling 1-0 to the Tacoma Tide. Rory Agu’s goal ten minutes in was all the tide needed, though they played most of the game with ten men after Stefan Tangen was sent off in the 23rd minute. Fresno and Ventura County both completed their qualifying schedule on Friday night, with Ventura County coming out on top 3-2. Ventura County’s win not only eliminates Fresno, but San Fernando Valley, Tacoma and Orange County as well. The Fusion will now have to wait and see if any of the seven clubs behind them in the standings can surpass the nine points they have finished with. Four games kick off on Saturday, which could further thin out the contenders for the two spots in the Western Conference.