Bruno hat-trick leads Pensacola FC to 4-0 victory Saturday

Newcomer Bruno Marques from São Paulo, Brazil, scored three goals to lead the Pelicans to a 4-0 season-opening win against Sowegans SC.

Forward Bruno Marques, playing his first match for Pensacola FC, scored three of the Pelicans’ four goals against Sowegans SC. PHOTO: Pensacola FC

Coach: Pels’ ‘mindset’ leads to win

Pensacola FC’s convincing 4-0 win Saturday against Sowegans SC went pretty much as planned, PFC coach Dean Logan said after the season-opening match for both sides.

“I thought that the guys approached the game with a very high-level mindset,” Logan said. “We had a game plan, and achieved our objectives for this game. Offensively we wanted to create lots of goalscoring chances once we entered the attacking third, then be very organized and patient once we were out of possession.”

Bruno Marques, a forward from São Paulo, Brazil, scored three goals for the Pelicans, including a bicycle-kick in the 22nd minute.

Kenta Yagi scored the Pelicans’ other goal after coming on in the second-half.

Every Pelican’s goal was set up by smart passing; Rodrigo Bacci, Michael Lightbourne, Eduardo Pampolini and Marcus Pereira recorded assists.

Pensacola enjoyed more possession, especially in the first half. The Pelicans were poised on the ball and alert defensively, especially in their own end and through the midfield.

Unofficially, Cooper Jennings saved five shots to help preserve a clean sheet for the Pelicans. Jennings, from Murrells Inlet, S.C., is playing in his second season for the Pelicans.

“The guys, were excellent in their communication to each other, that helped a lot when we had any pressure against us,” Logan said.

Beside Marques and Jennings, Logan said other standouts included Bacci, Periera, Nacho Miranda, Joao Ribero, Eduardo Pampolini, and Lightbourne, the team’s captain. He said wingers Kendrick Hernandez and Sy Fontenot “were very dynamic and caused the opponent lots of problems.”

Considering the Pelicans didn’t start training until Monday, Logan said he was happy with the team’s performance.

“Overall, it was a good start, and I was happy to give every player an opportunity in the game tonight,” he said.

It was the first match as members of The League for Cups for both sides; the Pelicans and Sowegans played in the NPSL’s Gulf Coast Sunshine Conference in 2024 but left because of prohibitive travel costs.

The NPSL conference includes several teams in central and south Florida, as far away as Miami. Saturday’s match in Leesburg, Ga. — a drive of about four hours from Pensacola — will be the Pelicans’ longest road trip in conference play.

In other Gulf Coast Conference action, visiting Tallahassee beat Valdosta 6-2, while Gaffa FC outscored visiting Gulf Coast United 5-1.

Pensacola FC Academy will host AFC Mobile at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Ashton Brosnaham Stadium; the PFC senior men’s team will host Valdosta FC at 3p.m. Sunday, May 18.

TLfC Gulf Coast Conference results

• Pensacola FC 4, Sowegans SC 0

• Tallahassee SC 6, Valdosta FC 2

• Gaffa FC 5, Gulf Coast United 1

DNP: AFC Mobile, Pensacola FC Academy, Union 10 FC